151 AC, Land Beyond the Wall, Thenn Valley
Ranma Pov
Ranma was flying above the large Valley filled with the "last of the First Men", a presumptive and untrue title since nearly everyone North of the Neck and many South of it could claim to be a First Men.
She remembered the Thenn's founder, a former student of hers who was named Thenn and it looks like he founded a tribe after the Long Night and his tribe decided to keep the name of their founder. As she began to float down, she hoped his descendant the Magnar of the Thenn's, their God-King would be reasonable.
Pov End
There was confusion in the Valley, then again that had been the usual for the last several years since the "shift". First the Children of the Forest became more active and were being sighted nearly everywhere, Weirwood Tree's were popping up all over the place. Magical creatures that were dying out were suddenly having a population explosion, the Giants, Direwolves and even the mostly mythic Ice Dragons were appearing on a semi-regular basis instead of the once a century sighting. Then there was the sudden crop yield, they were one of the few Free Folk who practiced farming, a benefit of having settled in a single area in a sheltered Valley instead of living a nomad hunter gatherer lifestyle but the crop yield was so great they wouldn't need to worry about food for a while.
Then for the first time since Theon the Hungry Wolf, the Stark's had invaded the Land Beyond the Wall but instead of a culling expedition like Theon the current Stark in Winterfell seemed intent on subjugating the Free Folk and it must be said that he seems to be winning. Nearly every single area and tribe beside the major rivers or the seas had either bent the knee, fled or were wiped out. They even made some inland conquests as everything South of between the Fist of the First Men (which is being rebuilt) and the Antler River had been conquered (although in reality they only really controlled the land surrounding their inland forts). The Stark's also sent in raiding parties to the areas not yet conquered, so called "Flying Columns" of mounted men mostly consisting of Horse Archers. The Free Folk had few horses and even less war horses so they could do little to kill these Flying Columns as they were unable to catch up to them in order to fight. The Free Folk did cause some casualties and had some victories as they had many archers and were able to successfully ambush them or use the terrain against them on more than one occasion but overall, these Flying Columns were winning more than losing.
Of course, this invasion prompted a response, the problem was the response was messy. No less than five King's Beyond the Wall had been proclaimed since the invasion and they immediately began fighting each other to be the Only King Beyond the Wall. In what has now become known as the War of the Five King's, many of the Wildling population had died with all five King's perishing destroying any chance of the Free Folk forming a united front and destroying a great deal of their military potential. The last of the Two King's decided to fight to be the only King by personal combat however the winner died soon afterwards from the wounds he received in the duel and what a duel it was. According to reports it lasted for over an hour with one using two one handed axes and the other using a stone two-handed hammer in a fight worthy of the Age of Heroes.
The reason for this situation was because the Free Folk were on the defensive not the offensive, there was no time to unite all the usually headstrong tribes behind a single King. Many tribes would only join one of the King's if he swore to drive the Starks out of their territory but unfortunately each tribe wanted their land freed first before other tribes. So, tribes of that area would join the local King Beyond the Wall as he swore to liberate their territory first, then they would fight the other King's.
However, all this chaos had been avoided in the Valley. Despite having a river going right into the Valley the Stark forces never came and indeed seemed to be avoiding the Thenn's at all costs and none of the Five King's approached the Thenn's to join them as they would refuse just like they refused all other King's Beyond the Wall since the first King Beyond the Wall Joramun. Now it seemed the chaos was going to come to the Valley.
All the Giants in the North about a moon ago began to converge on the Valley at the same time for some unknown reason. When the Giants were asked why, they replied, "They were called" and wouldn't elaborate further. A few decades ago, there were only five hundred Giants, now there are seven hundred of them young. With them came their herds of Mammoths. However, what was an even greater surprise was the arrival of a group of Children of the Forest, they only numbered half a dozen, but they were here in the Valley something that had not happened in centuries.
Then finally there were their children, since the "shift" the number of children born with magical abilities such as Wargs and Greensight increased. About a week ago, everyone who had the Greensight had the same vision, a walking Heart Tree wearing a crown with a face of a Direwolf upon the trunk would come and in one branch there was dead leaves covered in blood and in the other branch there was healthy leaves.
This vision combined with this "gathering" put every Thenn on edge and their Magner had been in deep discussion with the Elder's trying to make sense of it all. Now the entire settlement was gawking as a woman flew down from the sky.
The woman was dressed in Weirwood White clothes and cape and her hair was bright red, Weirwood leaves red. Upon her head sat a crown and she wore a medallion that had the Direwolf symbol upon it, the symbol of the Starks. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was the crowned walking Heart Tree, which had the face of a Direwolf, now they needed to figure out why she was here.
"Greeting's descendants of Thenn and Children of the Mountains (Giants), I am Ranma and I have come with a message from the Old Gods and a choice" Ranma said in the Old Tongue, her eyes wandering along the crowd.
The crowd shifted uneasily, they didn't know why but they felt like they were in the presence of a Shadowcat or some other dangerous creature that was preparing to pounce if they didn't show it a healthy amount of respect and caution.
The Giants, despite having terrible eyesight, were able to see more about this mysterious person with their sense of smell. The woman smelled young yet old and while she smelled human there was also something different, unhuman about her as well. They could also smell a power in her one which was hidden but still there, meaning it was hard for them to gauge how powerful she was and in what way she was powerful. However, it was her connection to everything around her that truly puzzled them, she was connected to the Earth, Water, Air and everything else, she was even connected to all the people, the Humans, Those Who Sing with the Earth (Children of the Forest) and themselves. It was like a Heart Tree through which the Old Gods connection with everything flowed through, she was indeed a walking Heart Tree.
The Magner's Hall doors suddenly burst open and out rushed the current Magnar and the Tribal Elders. Clearly someone had run into their meeting informing them about the visitor and now they stood looking bewildered at the women.
The Magnar to his credit seemed to regain his composure and in a proud and booming voice that would make anyone turn to him and listen stated "I am Magnar Raska the Bone Breaker, ruler of the Thenn's the last of the First Men and Guardian of the Thenn Valley. Who are you to proclaim yourself as an envoy of the Gods?!", saying the last bit with a glare.
The floating woman seemed to be amused judging by the small smile on her face.
"Your proud, but your also wary and you are not a fool, as instead of just blindly accepting what I claim to be despite my unique abilities" waving at herself as she floated a few inches above the ground "you question. You ask for proof. Intelligent just like your ancestor the first Thenn".
Now that seemed to take the wind from Raska's sails and he now looked at her like he didn't know what she was "You knew my ancestor?" he questioned.
"Knew him? I am the one who taught him magic and how to fight" Ranma replied.
"Ttthhats impossible, that would make you over..." "8000 years? Yes, it would, and I am over 8000 years old" she interrupted.
She then gave her full gaze at the gathered crowd, a gaze that held her full experience, her joys, her sorrows, the wonders and horrors she witnessed, her achievements and failures and most importantly the length of her life, a stare that many elders had mastered to gain the attention and silence of the youth but this stare of hers was much more intense than that.
After a few moments of silence, she continued "If you want proof that I am the "envoy of the Gods" as you put it, then ask them" pointing at the Children of the Forest.
One of them stepped forward "Ranma speaks true, but she is more than just a mere "envoy", she is their main connection to realms of mortals, when she was lost, the Gods lost most of their ability to interfere in mortal affair allowing the Andals to do what they did" snarling a bit at the last bit as the Andals massacred her people and cut down nearly every Weirwood south of the Neck. That was indeed true, if Ranma was awake during the Andal Invasion she would have defeated them the moment they cut their first Weirwood and the Andals and their Faith of Seven would have likely only have been a footnote in history books that most wouldn't know or care about.
"I see that is why you, the Old Gods and magic in general has suddenly become more active, Ranma is no longer "lost" as you put it and now things are returning to the way they were thousands of years ago" Raska said, clearly showing he wasn't just the leader of the Thenn's because of his strength or linage but also his intelligence.
"Yes, in the final battle during the Long Night, the Night King created a trap leaving me with two choices, save myself and sacrifice several thousand humans, giants, Children of the Forest and others along with my lover, son and grandson? Or do I sacrifice myself to save them? You can guess my choice" Ranma said.
Now that did knock the crowd out of their stupor because they understood that choice and many of them resigned themselves to a similar choice. Often there wasn't enough food during Winter and like the Mountain Clans South of the Wall the elderly would go on hunts to bring back food or not return at all, in order to ensure the survival of the younger generations and the survival of the whole tribe.
"The Long Night? So, the tales are true, the walking dead and creatures shaped like men but made of ice" Raska said understanding more than just the choice but also the information in her statement.
"Yes, it is true, and it is also the reason why I am doing this, and the Starks are doing what they are doing" catching their attention again, and that sentence confirmed what many of them thought when they saw that Direwolf symbolized medallion, that she was connected to the Starks.
"What does the Long Night have to do with what you and the Starks are doing?" an Elder by the name of Shaka asked.
"Everything" Ranma said in a way that sent shivers up and down their spines "The Long Night will return, it won't come during your lifetime but eventually the dead will rise, and the forces of winter will march, destroying everything in its path and who are the ones that are first in their path?".
The silence that followed was impossible to truly understand and comprehend as even the weather seemed to stop in shock and perhaps fear. The Thenn's understood immediately, they, the Free Folk were the ones in the immediate path of the Others, they were between the army of the dead and the Wall.
After a minute of silence Ranma withdrew a large scroll from her sleeves, placed it on the ground and unrolled it. It was a map, a map of everything above the neck all the way to the Lands of Always Winter. However, there were several things different about it. The Thenn's rarely left their valley en mass but individually and in groups they often left the valley for hunting, occasionally trading and destroying cannibal tribes that got to close to the Valley and any other tribe that sought to challenge them, but they had a great knowledge of the lands North of the Wall built by generations of knowledge. So, when they saw the map, they immediately saw several things wrong with it.
There were rivers when there were none, such as the lakes North and East of their valley now connected by several rivers from the sea to the mountains. The Antler River was now connected to the rivers to the west separating the landmass between the Wall and the Frostfang Mountains. Then in the Frostfang Mountains, the several valleys that exited into the Lands of Always Winter were blocked with what looked like smaller versions of the Wall.
However, Raska understand, making the connection between the map and the fact that the Others would return.
"You intend to make the Lands Beyond the Wall into a fortress to stop or at least slow down the Others, don't you?" he stated/asked, comprehension lighting up on many of the Free Folks faces.
"Yes, I have done the same to the North, creating numerous rivers and canals, which are used to irrigate crops and facilitate trade and decrease travel time for goods and people immensely, but the truth is that they are barriers meant to slow down the Army of the Dead" Ranma explained.
"I intend to do the same here, build fortifications and create water ways as neither the wights or Others can be submerged as it removes the magic, so they have to find ways around or across the bodies of water, they can do this by creating ice bridges but that would slow them down significantly. That would allow the people North of the Wall to prepare and evacuate to the Wall and if the Wall falls then the same strategy can be used in the North. Allowing us to pull back while we wait for reinforcements from the Southern Kingdoms to arrive so we can counterattack" Ranma finished, they had built bridges across the rivers in the North, but they were a mix of the Twins and Tower Bridge in the now forgotten and destroyed city of London, a drawbridge from both towers connecting to each other. Allowing ships of nearly any size to pass through without the towers and their bridges blocking them as they could simply raise the drawbridges. The Drawbridges were also collapsible and flammable, so when the Others arrived the guards in the towers could simply destroy them so they couldn't cross the river, trapping them on the other side.
"However, to create such defenses and to maintain them would be beyond the Free Folk as they currently are, not even if you managed to maintain a succession of King's Beyond the Wall till the Second Long Night is over would you be capable of it. The Free Folk are too disorganized, fragmented, prone to argument and conflict, you also lack the resources, skills and expertise to do it. That is the reason why the invasion by House Stark has occurred, to protect the world the Free Folk need to be organized and ruled and for that I will apologize for the destruction of your way of life and the many Free Folk and their tribes that have died since the beginning of this conflict" Ranma bowing her head at the apology.
That cut them short, they were getting angry at the fact that she intends for them to be ruled, them, the Free Folk! Ruled?! But then she bowed, she apologized and bowed something that few of the Free Folk would ever do and that took the wind out of their sails.
This time it was another one of the Elders who figured the hidden meaning behind the words "You don't want to do this do you?".
"No, I don't, but if I want to ensure the greatest chance of survival for the Living then I must, that was the agreement I made with your ancestors in exchange for their allegiance during the first Long Night. Your ancestors along with everyone else in the world swore an oath to me, a magical one that binding them and all their descendants to me (including you was unsaid but clearly heard), in exchange I would defend the world against the Others to the best of my ability and if that means I have to subdue you to accomplish that task then I have to" Ranma explained a sadness could clearly be heard in her tone.
The North always had a much greater degree of respect for honor and oaths than the South and the same holds true for the Free Folk, to survive up here your word needs to have strength to them otherwise you would likely be killed by a very angry person that you broke your oath to and if you did survive then no tribe would accept you as you couldn't be trusted and living alone up here is a good way to be killed quickly, whether it be from animals, cannibals, territorial tribes or the cold.
So, the fact that she was doing this to fulfil her oath to protect the world was something they could understand and respect albeit grudgingly since they were the casualties of that oath.
"You say we are magically bound to you because of an oath sworn by our ancestors?" Raska asked.
"Yes when the Others came and everything was facing extinction a grand alliance was created, the Alliance of the Living or Desperation as it was more commonly called in its earlier days, an Alliance between all sentient beings and cultures throughout the world. However, the Alliance needed a leader, someone who possessed the necessary respect, trust and power to maintain and control the Alliance, someone who wasn't biased when it came to species or seek political power through the position of leader to ensure that they would become the tyrant of the world or ensure that their faction within the Alliance was overly favored" Ranma then sighed.
"The person who was chosen was me, I am Ranma first of her name, High Queen of the Living and Ruler of the World" her voice now strong but charismatic and regal, authoritative and noticeable, yet not shouting and overpowering, a voice worthy of a monarch.
"To regain my position since the oath is still active all I would have to do is command the world to bow to me and I would instantly become Queen of it again" her voice now hard and certain "However I do not want to reclaim my throne in such a way, if I am to regain it, I will win it through my deeds, by either diplomacy or force, I will make the leaders of the world acknowledge me".
For any other person such words about world conquest would seem like a boast of pure arrogance and stupidity, no empire in the history of the world has accomplished such a goal despite many desiring to, it didn't matter how skilled its leaders were, how vast or powerful its armies and navies were or how bottomless their pockets were all empires fell before they could even be close to accomplishing it.
Yet when Ranma said those words, it was clear that it was no boast and the way she said the words made it sound like it already happened, that she already accomplished it, that it was certain.
However, it was how she intended to regain her throne that they understood what sort of person she was, she wasn't a Southerner who got what she has because she was born to the right parents, she intended to regain her crown the same way the Kings Beyond the Wall do, by earning it. By either persuasion or power rally the tribes to their banner and causes, something that only the bravest, strongest, most charismatic and luckiest individuals could achieve, that is why they were respected and remembered. For her to go the same path when there were easier ways to achieve her goals shows what sort of person she was, it shows she was worthy of respect.
"However, today I am here to convince you to help end the war between the Starks and the Free Folk although you will not like the method" Ranma said somewhat sheepishly, a stark (pun intended) contrast to the regal bearing she had before.
"You want us to bend the knee" Raska said, it wasn't a question but a statement.
"To put it bluntly, yes" Ranma replied, this made the various Thenn's look physically ill though none objected outright as all the information they learned in the previous few minutes knocked a great deal of objection from them.
"You need us to bend the knee, as seeing the most powerful, oldest and prideful of the tribes of the Free Folk surrendering will cause all others to reconsider their position and many would bend the knee. You would also then have an army to the North of the other tribes, an army that knows the land as well as them, that is also better equipped, led, disciplined and organized than the other tribes. Allowing you to surround the other tribes in all directions, that combined with the surrender of so many tribes would end the war sooner with much fewer casualties" Raska realizing why Ranma had come to negotiate with them.
"Yes, but that is not the only reason I have come here today" turning towards the giants who were so far spectators in the conversations "I have also come to convince the Children of the Mountains to rejoin the Alliance of the Living and accept me as High Magnar again".
The largest and oldest looking of the giants and their probable leader of this gathering spoke, but like all giants his speech was slow "I am Mundo, I speak for the clans, Old Gods called us here, promised to explain why we are no longer fading, your return is the reason. We grow, we have hope, but we are still few, we need protection, we need oaths to ensure that we will survive"
"I would accept nothing less considering the still precarious position of your species, would access South of the Wall and land specifically owned by you both North and South of the Wall and that you will be given equal rights as humans and the ability to be able to govern yourselves be enough of a guarantee to help you continue to prosper and ensure your protection?" Ranma asked.
All the giants and even the Thenn's were taken aback by the terms offered.
"I also offer something else, over the last several years you will have undoubtedly notice that Those Who Sing with the Earth have become more active, the reason being is that I have gifted them a fertility potion that guarantees pregnancy once consumed. I now offer the same potion to you, so you can increase your numbers at a much more accelerated rate" Ranma offered.
Now one could almost hear the imaginary crickets chirping in the silence that followed Ranma's offer. It was a generous offer and the best terms she could have offered the giants, they would get a home, they would be able to become a thriving species instead of a slowly dying one, they would be able to continue their own traditions and way of life thanks to being self-governed and they would be recognized as equals to humans, guaranteeing them legal protection. Such as if a humans attacked and killed a giant then they could be arrested, trialed and executed for murder.
"I would advise you to discuss this offer with the others" Ranma said shaking Mundo out of his stupor as he went to the other giants, probably the clan or family leaders.
"I'm offering a fairly similar deal to you, bend the knee and you retain the ability to self-govern, to retain the traditions that you have followed for thousands of years and recognition of you and your descendant's ownership of the Valley and the surrounding land, along with access South of the Wall, although the last bit would be open to all the Free Folk tribes who bend the knee" Ranma said.
Again, a fairly generous offer that guaranteed their rights and privileges as a separate culture although "What's the catch?" Raska asked.
Ranma nodded in acknowledgement as there was a catch "The obvious one, your oath of allegiance to the Starks, the second is helping with the ending of the current war, third help with the integration of the Free Folk into the North, as many would turn towards you for leadership" that got a nod, the Thenn's had major influence among the tribes and if they helped things would go a lot more smoothly.
"Fourth although this isn't a catch per say, while you lack the skill to design and build the structures that we have planned, you do have the manpower and the knowledge of lands, that would allow us to know if there are any raw materials, we can use closer to the construction sites. So, we want to hire you and pay for your efforts, so as I said not really a catch" that got a nod of acknowledgement. After all it made sense, few people South of the Wall would be willing to move North of it and there wouldn't be enough people moving to build even a fraction of what they intended, not enough to turn the land into a fortress and it would be tough for them to survive the conditions up there. However, the Free Folk were fairly numerous and lived beyond the Wall for thousands of years, they knew how to survive and sometimes thrive.
"Fifth and I think you will dislike this one the most but is the usual of a vassal, pay tax's when the economy North of the Wall is developed enough, which will probably take decades, so something that you don't have to worry about at the moment and acknowledge Winterfell's ability to lay down laws and sort out disputes if the need for the Starks to get involved happens" Ranma finished.
That was something they would find... difficult to accept.
"Would we be betraying our ancestors?" a voice in the crowd asked himself as the two sides of the Free Folk warred in all of them. The Free Folk character can be divided into two sections, practicality and pride. If you wish to survive beyond the Wall you have to be practical, you must do what it takes to survive, to protect yourself and your family and tribe. However, you also must be strong, willing to stand up to anything, you must have pride and be willing to back up said pride if you don't want to be beaten down and killed for being weak.
"That is something that ultimately you should decide, however I don't think they will see it as a betrayal. You and the rest of the Free Folk are descended from some of the bravest men and women in history. Did you really think that after the Long Night the people on this side of the Wall were just abandoned? Thrown away after it was built? After all the horrors the world endured during the Long Night? Not even the most sadistic person who was left alive after the War of the Dawn would sentence someone to such a fate even if they committed the worst crimes imaginable. Your ancestors choose to live this side of the Wall" now this history lesson was catching their attention.
"They volunteered to be the scouts, they would stay on this side of the Wall so when the Others returned the Night's Watch wouldn't be caught unawares, if they saw or meet an Other or their Wights they would high tail it to the Wall, so the Night's Watch would be prepared, and messages could be sent so that everyone else in Westeros could rally and send their armies to the Wall. They risked a fate worse than death in order to give the continent as much time as possible to defend itself... Unfortunately, man's memories is not long enough to survive for several thousand years without forgetting things, the world now believes the Others to be a myth, both the Free Folk and the Night's Watch forgot their united purpose and warred against each other and the defense strategy for Westeros is now in shambles" she sighed sounding and looking disappointed at the last part of her statement, however they could hear in her voice the passion and the respect she had for their ancestors as well as... pride for them? She did claim that she taught the original Thenn, the founder of their tribe, maybe that had something to do with it?
The giants came back after discussing the proposed offer. Mundo was at the head of the group "Do you swear upon the Old Gods that the offer was true, and you will fulfill it?"
"I can do one better" Ranma said smirking slightly before closing her eyes. The air seemed to shift in some way, and everyone could feel eyes on them as several invisible presences seemed to descend from some higher place that wasn't the sky. Then her eyes opened, they were red, not the bright blue eyes she had before and then her mouth opened.
"We witness this agreement and will enforce it, you will be protected, and the Children of the Mountains will thrive once again" the voices booming out of Ranma's mouth said.
Everyone from the Magnar to the Giants stepped back at this display, the giants could smell the power, a power that could usually only be faintly smelt, something that was intertwined with the world itself but now it was concentrated and could be sensed by even those with no connection to magic.
"The world needs to be united if it is to survive, it's time for the feud between our followers North and South of the Wall to end" the voices said with Ranma's body now turning towards the crowd of Free Folk, those eyes now staring at them and it felt like it was staring straight through them, like it was gazing into their souls. That feeling ended quickly as Ranma turned to face the giants again.
"Will you accept the bargain?" the Old Gods asked, as none could deny that it was them.
After a moment of silence "Yes" was the answer and with that the giants kneeled. With that Ranma's eyes closed and the presence was gone and when her eyes opened again, they were blue.
"Thank you and may you prosper forever" then turning to the Thenn's again "Now you have your own choice to make, to bend the knee or face destruction whether from the Starks or if you somehow manage to win the war then the Others".
Holding up a placating hand "I do not doubt your strength and don't think that you are weak but if you face the army of the dead as you currently are, you will lose. You lack the weapons which can slay Others and their Wights, you are unable to fight them however we do have the necessary weapons to harm them and can arm you and teach you to create such weapons".
This was the moment and Raska and the Elders had to weigh the options. Refuse, which would lead to war with the Starks and that had only one outcome. When Theon the Hungry Wolf came North the Free Folk couldn't stop him, not even the Thenn's, it was one of the few times in their several thousand years of existence that they had lost, it was only thanks that their Valley was so far North that it spared them from further loss. And that war occurred when Theon was fighting several other wars and worried about other fronts but now? With the Seven Kingdoms united and peace throughout the continent they could concentrate nearly their entire force North of the Wall and even if they somehow win and drive the Starks back then they would have to deal with the Others and be forced to flee South of Wall and submit themselves to the Starks anyway if they want to survive. It may not happen during their lifetime, but it will happen.
On the other hand, if they bent the knee their tribe would unquestionably survive the war and keep their land, traditions and a reasonable amount of autonomy and a great deal of influence over the other tribes as the mediator between them and House Stark. It would also help them survive the Second Long Night.
However, they now knew something else, their duty and heritage, handed down by their ancestors but forgotten over the years, to help protect Westeros from the Others, they were the first line of defense, they were supposed to help protect the continent and they forgotten that duty if bending the knee was required for that purpose and to make amends for their failure then... so be it.
Raska looked resigned as he made a decision that would alter the way that his tribe has lived for millenniums and would change their fate forever, whether it would be better or worse he couldn't say but for now it seemed the best course to ensure his tribes survival.
"I kneel" then doing the movement itself.
…...
156 AC Crownlands, King's Landing
A yell of joy could be heard over the city and as the residents of the most populous city in Westeros looked up, they could see a great shape among the clouds and as it began to descend, they could see it more clearly.
A red dragon and upon its back rode a young silver-haired prince, the son of King Aegon III and heir of the Iron Throne, Prince Daeron.
The sight of dragons which the Crownlands once witnessed disappeared after the Dance of Dragons but now after the Revenge of Magic as the Maesters treason and punishment was called the sight was becoming more common again, although it would take a while for both the Targaryen's and the dragons to recover their numbers.
Onlookers looked on as the prince descends into the Dragonpit until the walls surrounding the second most important structure in King's Landing hid the dragon from view.
Daeron Pov
Flying always made him feel exhilarated, it was fun and exciting. It was always a pity when it ended but Scorch was still a young Dragon, and he was a Prince of the Realm, and he had many duties and lessons.
As he landed, he looked around the rebuilt structure, the Dragonpit a symbol of the Targeryen's and their dragons destroyed not by an army of Lords and Knights but by an enormous mob of small folk that seemed to go absolutely insane one night and decided to challenge the most dangerous creatures in the world. It didn't matter how many of them died by either the Dragonkeepers the order of warriors sworn to protect the structure and the dragons inside and the second most prestigious knightly position in the realm. Or when the small folk broke through the knights position the dragons themselves, over four thousand people died that day and yet they kept coming slaying all the dragons and most of the Dragonkeepers in the pit at the time. A humbling lesson that showed the power of the insignificant small folk that most Lords try to forget but my father certainly didn't.
To ensure a repeat of that wouldn't happen again there were three changes to the rebuilt Dragonpit, first a moat around the structure so the Pit couldn't be stormed again. Second the dragons were no longer caged and chained, ensuring that they could flee if they needed to. Third, no longer would there be no roof over the pit to help the dragons escape and take to the air. In the roofs place there was a giant cloth covering they could put over the Pit to protect the inside from bad weather operated by a complicated system of ropes and pulleys to open and close it.
As he began to dismount from Scorch a messenger came escorted by one of the Dragonkeepers.
"His grace wants you in the Red Keep for the next small council meeting" the messenger announced.
"Very well I will head out at once" Daeron replied, patting scorch on the neck before heading out of the Dragonpit.
And as he mounted his horse and looked towards the Red Keep. He wondered what this day would bring.