Chapter 21: Kalameet
"I AM KALAMEET!"
The huge scaled lizard gave a mighty roar, and it sounded louder than anything any of the men, women or children in the Dothraki camp had heard in years. There had never been a live dragon seen for what seemed to be thousands of years, but it was more like hundreds of years instead.
What was different about the new dragon named 'Kalameet', was that he only seemed to have one eye, the eye that seemed to light up the entire Dothraki camp in blood red rage. The massive dragon screamed and roared in anger as he flew around the camp, engulfing the tents in flames and melting the skin of men's bones. His wings flapped violently, the gales making the tents fly through the air, some on fire, some not.
A real dragon… A real live dragon… Daenerys thought.
She had only heard tales of dragons from her elders. Legends like Balerion the Black Dread, the mighty war-beast that her great predecessor Aegon the Conqueror rode when he took over Westoros, Vhagar and Meraxes accompanying them, Rhaenys and Visenya riding them alongside their brother-husband. Her ancestor formed the foundation of the country she would soon take over, the land where she would now be the Queen.
Me… A Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, it is my destiny, my birthright, The Iron Throne is mine by the Divine Right, the gods made the Targaryens the reigning dynasty for hundreds of years, I am destined to be the Queen!
Daenerys was shaken out of her stupor by Jorah and Solaire, who had now drawn both of his swords, and the cloth that was covering his armour was no gone, the silver-steel plate was now shining eerily in the dying dragonfire that was, at the time, burning down the entire camp.
"Khaleesi!" Jorah shouted, drawing his own sword. "Follow me, and keep moving!"
Daenerys' hand was harshly grabbed by Jorah, and she could feel the floods of sweat that was on his hands, soaking into the hilt of his sword and into the hands of Daenerys. She could see Solaire, barking orders and beckoning Dothraki towards him, and she would have to translate for them whilst Solaire was roaring at them.
As they ran throughout the camp, they began to notice that the Dothraki camp was basically all but destroyed, and that the Black Dragon Kalameet was now turning his leathery tail and flying off to the direction of the Dothraki Sea, heading further East, as if he were heading to go right past Asshai-By-The-Shadow, and then right past the Shadow.
"Follow me! We have to stop the dragon before it causes any damage!" Solaire yelled proudly.
It had been a rather long time since anything had happened that had gotten Daenerys so thoroughly excited as she was at that moment. She had witnessed what most would never see in their lives, a real life dragon!
It seemed that as much as she told herself that it was real, it never seemed to get to grips with her mind, as if what she was seeing was all just a great dream, or that she was a main character in old fable or heroic story.
Daenerys, Jorah and Solaire ran to the horses, mounting the best ones that they had. Daenerys had mounted her Silver, Jorah had mounted a dark brown mare, and Solaire had leaped upon the pale white stallion. That same stallion was one that the Dothraki breakers were having trouble with for days since they had arrived at Qohor, and then in a matter of seconds, Solaire had tamed it and now he was riding it like he had been riding that horse for his entire life.
He must be similar to Annalise, I have never seen somebody so tough, so hardy or so stubborn, he must be like her…
Or like that brother of hers…
Brother?
Yes, Annalise has a brother, do you not remember?
Sir William Redding? That was his name, was it not?
Perhaps he is like them? Like Anna and Solaire? Perhaps he will even fight for us? Restore the Targaryen Dynasty to the Iron Throne?
Soon enough, Daenerys was riding through her burning camp, and she had soon realised that whilst Jorah and Solaire were riding ahead to keep their eyes on Kalameet, the remaining horselords had taken to following their Khaleesi as their new leader, as nobody knew what had happened to the Khal, but from what Daenerys knew, she had seen her husband, her love, run into the fiery forest of flames that was their camp, never to be seen again.
Daenerys could see that Annalise was dragging behind, but not by far. She was riding just away from the remaining Dothraki riders and she was soon closing the gap between Daenerys and the Dothraki. Daenarys looked forward and she could see Solaire riding further and further away from them, his horse kicking up mud and sand as Solaire spurred it on, and it began to gallop faster and faster than ever before.
Daenerys would admit to not knowing a lot about horses, but she could tell that Solaire had done something to the horse. His own horse that he was riding was not faltering at all, and even her own horse was beginning to slow down and falter at times, yet Solaire was riding as fast as he could to keep up Kalameet.
"Keep riding! Keep riding!" Jorah yelled in Dothraki, as he began to spur his own horse into galloping again.
The riders heard his call, and began to ride harder, spurring their horses harder and harder so they could keep up, but even they could not even attempt to keep up with Solaire, who seemed to ride further away.
Kalameet gave out a nasty roar, flapping his wings even more, turning his head so he could see the group of men and women chasing him throughout the grasslands of the Dothraki Sea. He gave a loud screech, before he began to twist slightly in the air, the tip of his right wing dipping slightly into the sand, the sand bursting upwards into the air.
Kalameet soon lowered himself into the air, and the Dothraki riders drew their bows as they rode, and began to let loose some arrows, some of the arrows missing completely, some just barely making contact with the black scales of Kalameet, whilst a small amount sticking into the dragon's flesh.
Kalameet gave another screech, and spewed fire into the sky, lighting the area around the group pursuing him. Kalameet dove through the air once more, speeding past Daenerys and Jorah and Annalise, and they could feel the wind tear past them as the mighty flying beast shot past them, just barely missing them. The group soon turned and began to give chase to Kalameet as they changed direction.
Daenerys could still see Solaire riding as if he were just taking a little stroll outside of his own castle. His pale mount did not seem to stop for breath, as it kept taking massive strides as it managed to keep up with the dragon.
Daenerys could see a large glowing light from Solaire, and she could see a great glowing light form in Solaire's palm, which soon turned into a full lighting bolt.
I must be dreaming, this has to be a dream…
Nope, we would know if this was a dream, we would have awoke by now…
It took a while before Solaire could actually let go of the lightning bolt, as Kalameet seemed to fly further and further away, but he managed to keep spurring his horse so he could keep close to the dragon. Daenerys swore she heard him shout something about 'glorious incandescence' before releasing the lightning, and she could not help but watch in utter amazement and awe as the lightning bolt soared through the air, smacking Kalameet's left wing, causing dragon to falter greatly, his right wing twisting unnaturally as it hit the sand first, and soon the great beast rolled into the sand, crashing down harshly as the sand flew up into the air as the dragon rolled onto the floor, trying to not injure itself as it tried to run away.
"Give chase! Chase the dragon now!" Jorah yelled loudly.
Soon enough, the dragon stopped of it's own accord, before giving a sad-sounding roar and sat down in the sand. It tried to flap both of it's wings, yet only managed to find that one wing just barely worked. It gave another shrill cry, before shaking all of his scales to get rid of the sand between his scales.
"Do not harm him!" Daenerys yelled. "I wish to speak to it!" She yelled again in Dothraki.
The riders rode forth, charging in front of Daenerys, Jorah and Annalise and soon they began to circle around Kalameet, drawing their arakhs and aiming their arrows at the scaled beast. The men had never seen a dragon before in their life, and definitely did not know how to act around such an animal, especially as it could have killed all of them then and there.
"My lady, I don't think keeping this… 'Kalameet' alive is such a good idea..." Jorah said.
Daenerys raised an eyebrow. "Why? Because it is a dragon? This is the first dragon seen in hundreds of years, and the first dragon we know that can talk! Killing it would be terrible!"
"This beast has razed Khal Drogo's khalasar to the ground, as it never existed in the first place. Keeping it alive could cause unnecessary harm and death." Jorah responded.
"And if it does not? Still kill it? This beast could be an ally!"
"Ally? Do you have any clue what an ally even is? Have you ever had an ally that has burned your camp down, and then you have injured him or her, and then turn him or her into an ally?" Jorah kept on asking, barking relentlessly at Daenerys.
"You forget who you talk to. Do not talk to me like a little child, Ser Jorah."
"My apologies, Khaleesi."
Daenerys dismounted her horse, and Jorah and Annalise followed soon behind her, their horses trailing behind quietly. They made the occasional whinny or neigh as they neared Kalameet. She could just see Solaire dismount his horse just a little step away from the dragon. He neared the dragon and knelt before the creature, and he drew his sword and stuck it firmly into the sand. Daenerys could just slightly hear the large armoured man begin to speak to the dragon.
Kalameet growled. "Quhnaarin, we meet again..."
"It seems we do, Kalameet. Although last time, it seemed you killed me a few times before I killed you. You did not run away like this time, lost your nerve, lizard?"
"You accuse me, the last of the ancient dragons, of losing my nerve? You are lucky I do not kill you where you stand..."
"Do not worry, dear friend," Solaire muttered with a twinge of sarcasm. "It will end like the last time." He stated.
"Solaire! Stay your blade, the Khaleesi wishes to speak!" Jorah yelled.
Daenerys marched in front of Solaire, and soon the Sunlight Warrior sheathed his blade and knelt before Daenerys. He did not say a word as the Khaleesi ordered him to stand to attention, but he held his head high, proud of his accomplishment in defeating Kalameet.
"You are a dragon, are you not?" Daenerys asked.
"Inquisitive, aren't you?" Kalameet huffed, giving a dark chuckle. "Yes, but not just any dragon. An ancient dragon from the old times. One that was betrayed by the coward that is Seath the Scaleless, and sadly it seems I have fallen to the same opponent once more..."
"Seath the Scaleless?" Daenerys said, confused.
"Seath was a disformed dragon, born without scales that gave him his power, his immortality. I will tell you the rest of the story later, Khaleesi." Solaire answered.
"I can smell the blood of dragons around me, but mostly in front of my eye right now. Are you the Dragon's Daughter?"
"I am Daenerys Stormborn of the House Targaryen, First of The Name, Rightful Queen to the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of The Realm, and yes, I have the blood of dragons in my veins, for I am also the descendent of the great dragonlord, Aegon the First."
"House Targaryen? Stormborn? This is… different..."
"I could say the same to you, Kalameet. The first impression you make to the Khaleesi is to burn down her camp, and now you decide to be civil and talk with her? How quaint..." Solaire muttered.
"I will speak to the Dragon's Daughter, not some warrior who refuses to use his sword in favour of… damned lightning," Kalameet hummed. "You say you are born of dragons and I am clearly not in my own world anymore, are there any of my kind in this world?"
"Yes, yet they have not hatched." Daenerys solemnly said, as she had no hope in ever hatching them again.
"Bring them to me..." Kalameet ordered.
Rakharo had returned from his horse, and he held a cloth which contained all three dragon eggs. Rakharo handed them to Daenerys, and in turn she placed them before the black dragon before her.
"By the Fire… Brothers and Sisters… I have never been so… enthused to see my own kind once more."
Kalameet gave a mighty roar, screaming loudly and proudly into the sky, with everyone around quikcly covering their ears as they dragon continued to cry. Kalameet moved his head to hover above the eggs, and slowly began to breath fire over the eggs, and soon, Daenerys could hear small and slight cracks coming from the eggs.
Kalameet moved away from the eggs, and kept his blood red eye focused on the three eggs before him, and soon the eggs cracked into tiny little pieces.
It cannot be, I must be dreaming…
By the Old Gods and the New…
Three little dragons emerged slowly from their eggs, and seen the great dragon looming over them. The soon began to chirp and squirm for what would have to be their adoptive parent, and as Kalameet lowered his head, the three little dragons made their way to the ancient dragon, and began to climb over the dragon's ridges and crests, before sitting down on the top of the dragon's head, latching on to the crests, and giving their own versions of a roar, which seemed to be more like a shrill cry.
"Daenerys Targaryen, I am enthused to know that I am no longer the last of my kind. I would wish to serve under you, and to help rear this drakes as your own, to be loyal to you, their mother."
Kalameet shook his wings slowly, shaking the sand from the scales, and giving a low roar, with the three little dragons screaming their shrill cries. Daenerys slowly moved forward towards Kalameet, and as soon as the great dragon stopped roaring, he lowered his head, closed his eye and began to give a low hum before crooning. Kalameet then lowered his neck, shaking the scales there. Daenerys stroked the dragon's scales, feeling their weirdness and oddness as she moved to Kalameet's neck.
"Climb..." Kalameet growled.
Daenerys placed her foot upon one of Kalameet's scales, and then pulled herself up, climbing until she reached Kalameet's head, and she was then face to face with her children, her three baby dragons that sat upon Kalameet's ridges.
Daenerys gave a wide smile, before petting the three baby dragons. She then began to think of names for her new children.
Balerion… Named after the Black Dread...
Tessarion… Named after the dragon rode by Daeron Targaryen, who died in the Dance of Dragons...
Syrax… Named after the dragon rode by Rhaenyra Targaryen, who died after being outnumbered in the riots of King's Landing…
I have a feeling this shall be the start of something great and beautiful…
X-X-X
I know that some of you will likely reject me for this, and possibly not even read the next fic that I create, but I am going to split the story into books, and as this one is inspiration for 'A Game of Thrones', the next shall be inspired by 'A Clash of Kings' (Season 2).
I am not doing this because I want to, because if I had my way and started a lot earlier than I could have, I would have loved to make this story over 300K words, but even I have trouble righting chapters long enough to get this story to that point.
This way, if I ever feel like a get a burst of writing bliss, I can easily right a chapter for the next story, and then post it, finish it and then start with 'A Storm of Swords' (Season 3).
I do apologise, but this way I have time to write about other things, and not just always focus on An Unkindled in Westoros. Believe me, I would love to, but it would be a lot harder, and I don't really like having a lot of sympathy. I feel like that it is my duty to finish this story, and the way I find it easiest to do it, is to split it up into parts.
For now, this will be an end to the first part of An Unkindled in Westoros…
~The Real Italian Stallion~
