A medium sized with a worn Targaryen sail in the colors of blue and gold strolled into the rotting and swaying docks. It was the sail of the Prince of the West, the ship once being Elissa Farmans Sunchaser but now is the Prince's flagship. A storm was brewing and they needed shelter before they could take off into the jungle of the island.
They were sent to investigate the disappearance of the local lord. Two and a half moons ago Lord Aurane Waters, acting Lord Governor of the Dreamfyre Isles and half bastard brother of Lord Velaryon, stopped sending his reports to the crown. So they're here to investigate the reason behind this and Viserys potentially might a assign new lord Governor in his stead.
Trade in the Fanged sea has fallen as the isles lie at the mouth between it and Mooncast Sea. As a result King Rhaegar I has sent him, his brother Viserys Prince of the West, to investigate the disappearance and restore the isles' outpost on Rhaena's Rest.
There are eight islands here. Rhaena's Rest is the most developed. It was where Rhaena and her lover Elissa spent their last years. The other isles were named after the Maesters who chartered them. Closest to the Rest was Bloth and Otho, then Horro; the largest and most mysterious isle was Kritru and then Drink, Boy and the closest to Wonderos was the Baker' home. Also According to the singers the twins maesters of Otho and Drink completed against eachother so much that they sabotaged the other on their isles, eventually leading to their deaths.
The small port they walked into was meant as rest stop for sailors traveling the Mooncast and the Sunset Seas, yet it was vacant. There was an eerily silence about it. Food remained rotting away with swirling swarms of flies around the moldy and rotten food. Drinks remained untouched in the small wooden taverns along with playing dusty cards and rusty gambling pieces. As they searched they even small found small amounts of dirty gold dragons and rusty silver stags. "The patrons has left in hurry it seems" he heard Oswell mutter.
They made camp in the port that night. They swatted away the noisy insects as they turned one of taverns into their temporary quarters. His servants lit a small fire in the center of the port town and began to cook their evening meals.
Due to the storms they faced on the way here, they lost half their previsions so half the guard left for a few hours to hunt. They returned close to an hour or two latter.
The prey they catch were strange. They appeared like large birds but with narrow snouts and small teeth in place of a bird beak. They also had clawed feet and two sets of feathered wings, one normal set on their arms and another on their feet. They were about the size of a small hound. These toothed birds would have to do as they had little else to eat.
As his men plucked the feathers and skinned their meals, Viserys looked to the forest with a slight nervousness in his gut. He remembers reading about the native creatures of the Dreamfyre Isles. Large dragon like creatures the maesters liked calling Qubarīza or bad lizard in Valyrian. According to the Maesters they are slow dimwitted monsters, though some Maesters say the same about dragons so Viserys doesn't take them at their word. There are some Maesters who believe large bones found in Wonderos, Westeros and Essos belong to the same kind of creatures long extinct though thats mostly disputed by the the faith who find offense that the gods allow such things. Maester Horro even believed them to be related to birds after seeing the similarities between the animals he observed and the ravens he tended to. Though their shouldn't be any here as Rhaena and Dreamfyre killed most of the larger predators off this island and than the herbivores died out soon after. His thoughts were interrupted by the finishing of their meals.
Their meal was chewy but otherwise tasted like a succulent chicken. They packed the meat with rice and Rotti sauce, a special sauce made by the native clan of Rotti in New Rhoyn. It was acceptable as a meal though the not best he has had. They left their bones in the fireplace.
At sundown the men gathered around the camp fire in front of the tavern as his they spoke candidly. "She told me that she wished to have a "taste" of me. So the fool I was followed her to a secluded chamber in the ruined tower of Ghosts. But instead of a sweat kisses the neck that I expecting she sank long fanged teeth instead. Though I suppose she did keep her promise as she did sucked me dry" the men laughed at the tall tale as his kings guard Ser Oswell liked to make dark japes, usually at his own expanse.
It was long in the night when they were awoken by strange noises. "The fucks that noise" one of his men asked he awoke. Scratchy and throaty calls rung through the night. His man Roak warned them that it was an predator of some kind. They left guards to work in shifts guarding the entrance. By the sunrise of the sun, two of said guards were gone with scratch and bloody prints all of what was left of them.
They left the next mourning cautiously as the storm had long since passed. They were heading to the Dream Hill at the center of the island. A small volcanic mount where the keep for the Lord Governor lies at.
They were cautious when moving through the thick weeds. "The beasts that killed Rylon and Fink could be watching us" Oswell spoke so they all curled their hands around their sheathed swords. Their servants and crew remained aboard the ship to guard it. Oswell suggested to bring in their round shields in case of emergency.
After an hour or so of walking Viserys grew tired and annoyed. They got little sleep thanks to those beasts. And he loudly complained of how unbecoming it was for one of the blood to walk through mud and be bitten by various insects. Yet he kept going as he needed to assess what happened as is his duty as Prince of the West.
After half the day later the tall grasses and vines broke for the sight of the keep. The keep was built by Rhaena. She and Elissa spent many a night here, though that remained an open secret due to the faiths tolerance of that kind of relationship. Though Viserys dragons shouldn't care what men nor gods think of them.
The keep was atop a steep hill, the base of the islands main volcano. They struggled through the steep climb one foot after the other. At several they had to place in front of the ground in order to move up. Until finally they made it to the top.
The place was almost completely abandoned, but for the rotting corpses they found inside. Deep cuts and slashes that ran down their armor. Dried blood was plastered along the stone walls and floor. At the center of the room was a sliver haired corpse that was clearly fed on by some scatters, there was no mistaking him for he was lord Aurane. The straight slash marks should they died of a sword rather than the claw of some animal. "Mayhaps some pirates or slavers tried their hand in taking the island. Well need to inform the king" Ser Oswell spoke with a solemn seriousness he wasn't known for.
"Wait, what is that" spoke Viserys as noticed something. Along the ripped and tattered banners of houses Targaryen and Velaryon was a red banner barely poking out of one of the corpses. "Might be a Lannister Banner mi lord" he of his guards spoke as he moved to take a closer look. He gently trumped on the red banner as he pulled from beneath a soldier. There he and his knights stood in shock as the black and red banner was displayed in full display. It was the inverted colors of the Targaryen banner, the Blackfyre banner.
"This doesn't make sense" he spoke in thought. The last Blackfyres were killed by Ser Barristan when his grandfather Jaehaerys II ordered an invasion of the golden colony in Ulthos. So how is one here and more importantly why. "We need to go now" as he said as they left the stone keep in silence leaving the body alone.
They carefully walked down the steep cliff. It was harder to not tumble when going down.
So they reentered into the thick forest. The vines griped at them from heavy tree branches as they moved. "We need to warn Rhaegar. Who needs what these bastards are planning" Viserys said as he swatted vines with his sword. If house Blackfyre was alive and here than their likely plotting vengeance against his family. The rest merely nodded along.
Then suddenly Roak stopped them. The forest was silent as he spoke "What is it, we need have to keep going" Viserys complained. Roak was an outcasted native hunter from Wonderos that joined his men when he was named Prince of the West. He held ear out to the woods and then spoke "Hunted we are. Danger there is mo lor".
They all looked around nervously as Viserys silently screeched in a silent yet somehow shrill voice " Hunted. By what". Whent spoke up "probably the same thing that killed Rylon and Fink" the guards from the before he remembers.
The brushes rattled with the flowing of the wind. They heard small patters of something moving far away as they went. When one of his guards lagged behind, they heard his a couple o minutes later. So they moved faster, smashing branches through the branches as they ran.
Then suddenly Viserys tripped over a thick uprooted root. When he looked up yellow gold eyes peaked at him, observing him like a wolf would a lost fawn. Luckily his men were there a moment latter.
They assembled into a hastily constructed circular shield wall as the beasts encircled them. Even Viserys himself was apart of it for seven men were all that was left of them. They awaited with abated breath.
Then one of the creatures pounced upon Ser Tymr. Luckily his shield held out and he managed to strike a deadly blow on the creatures neck killing it. But even then he could tell there was more out there.
The beasts stalked them carefully. He could tell their through the light breaking through the tree roof. They appeared similar to the animals they ate, but much larger, nearly the size of a short man. They lacked the second wings of the last animal they found either and the ones on their arms were shorts and less pronounced. Their snouts sniffed and hissed at the air as they encircled.
They attacked in turns. Each one throwing itself against the shield wall. Testing it, probing it, looking for weakest to exploit.
This continued until exhaustion began wearing them down. Viserys felt his hands grow weak. He breathed unevenly. In and out, in and out. Then all at once a beast threw its full weight against him, knocking the prince into the dirt.
He desperately tried to wrangle his sword that fallen away from him as the beast pressed its weight on him. It rose its head and snapped down on his head only his helmet to stoping it. Then tried to tore through his armor with its long clawed toe but it only managed to scratch it. Then it changed strategy and tries to aim for his throat before a sword splits through its own. As it fell away Viserys to his savior looked to Ser Oswell Whent.
Oswell helped him up with an outstretched hand. Viserys looks to see that the beasts used his fall to tear into the others flanks. Two of them have already fallen and another fled. Only Roak and Tymr remained as they fought a losing. "Shouldn't we help" he spoke as he felt guilty as they fell to his own weakest. Oswell shock his head "We must go now your grace. Rhaegar needs to know what happened here. And your Prince of the West, I'm sworn to protect you at all cost. They are sworn to protect to too, so we must leave them to. Their fate" with a uncharacteristically grim face with that they left.
They continued onward toward the beaten path. The trees gave way to grasses. At one point they ran into a large and thick spider web, though they left quickly once they realized the spiders that made them were the size of kittens.
Eventually they recognized the trees around them as the ones they first passed on the way to the keep. They were exhausted with aching bones. They hadn't eaten since the night before.
Suddenly Oswell stopped "Were still being hunted" he spoke silently with narrowed eyes "Is it those monsters" Viserys asked back hesitantly. Oswell ignored him and listened to the forest Oswell nodded. He had a determinate face that he only saw on men like Arthur Dayne before "On the count three you must run to the ships. Tell the crew to go around the Corlys Sea If the Blackfyres are still they may be waiting for us. In case neither of us makes it give a letter to one who can get it the king.". When Viserys turned to Oswell "lets go"
No sooner did than he spoke a beasts jumped on Oswells shoulder. Oswell struggled to throw the beast off but he could it sunk its into his neck. Oswell the beast, one between the previous twos size, off. It scurried off as Oswell held his on his neck. Oswell held his in one hand and his other covered his bleeding as he said "Run". They could the beasts getting closer as well.
Viserys did as he was told. He heard the clash of steel as he ran and then the distant shout of " In this night, we rise from the shadows" the Whent words. Then all he heard was an echoing chant of the beasts.
Viserys ran back into the abandoned port town only to find the docks aflame. His ship laid burning and sinking. The docks were now a blackened skeleton crumbling into water below, his ship barely visible as it sunk. He had to hold his arm around his mouth to not breath the ashen filled air.
He coughed and coughed before something large appeared in the air. At first he thought it to be a Sōveryn, a false wyvern that lived here and hunted in western Wonderos and Gondros. But those things had long beaks and crests. And could spot a snout of some king on this thing. Then it opened its maw and breathed fire down at him.
A dragon. He always wanted to see a real life dragon and now one hunts him as he ran back into the forest. The dragon stopped as its rider hopped off and marched towards him. His retinue joined him. He cringed at the head of Whents' head.
Knowing he's screwed Viserys runs deeper into the forest. He leaves a note filled with the information of the Blackfyres on it. His nephew Jon, the only one of his nephews he can stand would likely come looking for him. Its in his nature. It might at least warn him and thus Rhaegar as well.
Viserys watched as soon he threw the bottle he took from the tavern with his letter yellow eyes appeared at him. He watched as the beasts slowly stalked around him. He's dead no matter what he does, but maybe leading them to the beasts will lead to their deaths as well.
A minutes latter they appeared. The two groups were both ready to pounce neither aware of the other. Its then that he felt a smooth breathing down his and turn to face the bloodied face of the beasts. As he felt his throat open he fell to the ground, but before his eyes closed he heard his other pursuers scream as well and Viserys died with a faint smile.