Valyrian Steel

Daenerys Targaryen

The Blood of Old Valyria

Daenerys let out a delighted cry as Drogon burst through a cloud and let out a cry of his own that muted hers. She wrapped her coat around her a little tighter, grateful to Lya, Arya, for packing her travelling pack. When she sent Tyrion with Arya to Braavos the girl took it upon herself to pack a travel pack for her hunting trip. Missandei was left to prepare for their departure to Westeros and Daenerys decided to take her children on a hunt so they could gorge themselves on something other than Pentoshi livestock. The first day Drogon had dived into the ocean and retrieved a shark, he flung it up by the tail and cooked it midair. He ate on a nearby cliff while Daenerys dried off and Rhaegal and Viserion dove for their own meals.

Her children had been damaged by the fight at her wedding and they hadn't fought eachother for the entire trip. Drogon would often give a warning snap of his teeth when Viserion and Rhaegal veered to close to his meal. Their wounds hadn't comepletely healed and Viserion seemed wary of his siblings. Drogon had a gentler touch with his sibling, occassionally throwing Viserion parts of his hunt and even sleeping together for warmth.

Rhaegal spun through a cloud beside them and unfurled his wings breathing fire into the air seemingly in celebration. He brought his wings flush against his side and dove down concerning Daenerys, he was diving too fast. Rhaegal unfurled his wings before he hit the water and veered up. He was acting queerly. Rhaegal flew close to them and she felt Drogon tense beneath her, she looked at Rhaegal who seemed to be cheerfully snapping at clouds and flipping in the air. When he pulled closely she called out in suspicion.

"Arya?"

Rhaegal stopped his playful attitude and eyed her, he gave an imperceptible nod of his head. And surged forward.

Daenerys didn't know whether she should be angry that the Stark girl had inhabited her dragon again, or laugh at her childish delight with flight. Instead she decided to urge Drogon forward to race her, Viserion joined them. They swerved through the clouds weaving patterns in the sky, Daenerys felt all the weight lift from her shoulders. She could forget her disappointing husbands, lovers, the burning of the Dothraki Sea, the crown. She was in the sky and the world disappeared beneath her wings.

After reveling in the sky with her children motioned for Drogon to land. Once on the ground he waited patiently while she removed his saddle and her travel packs. After she finished he rolled on the ground in obvious pleasure. Rhaegal seems to return to his previous self and Daenerys felt a bit forlorn. Her children had not played together so peacefully in so long. Rhaegal looked around in some confusion and she called out to him. He turned and watched her calmly, for the first time in years she felt safe enough to approach him. She reached out and he drew closer allowing her to pet his snout and whisper soothing tones to him. He purred momentarily before he drew away and flew off. Daenerys smiled, today was a wonderful day.

The next morning she woke up when Drogon shifted awake, she had fallen asleep in the curve of his neck. He shook himself and nuzzled her in his sleepy haze while she chuckled and patted him. Daenerys stretched and laughed when Drogon and her children imitated her, she rarely enjoyed moments like this with them. She saddled Drogon and strapped her packs, he waited patiently occasionally rumbling deep in his chest. He did not enjoy the extra weight but he bore it well, she had this saddle commissioned shortly after she rejoined her people. The Dothraki had taught her how to saddle her own horse, Drogon was a little more difficult. At first she had to use the whip to get him to behave, his scales were rough and she could not ride him for extended periods of time. After a few weeks he became used to it, but from time to time it still offended him.

They took off flying over some ruins for a time she looked down at the moving landscapes till sleep took a hold of her again and she dozed off staring at the clouds. She awoke again several hours later with some smoke in her lungs. Drogon dove down and swerved to avoid an immense smoking tower. The air was better lower to the ground but some smoke still tickled her throat. She wrapped a scarf around her face and peered through the smoke, Drogon and his siblings seemed to have no issue with the smoke, other than diminished visibility. She could see towers through the smoke, large columns that seemed to reach up to the sky as if they were trying to touch the sun. Daenerys wondered where she was, possibly a ruin along the Rhoynar. She guided Drogon up to where she saw a large opening in one, a large balcony of black marble outstretched and Drogon landed gently with his siblings at his side.

She slid off of Drogon and walked further into the opening kicking soot and ash up as she walked, there were intricate carvings of Dragons running along the sides of the walls. Dragons of marble, obsidian, gold and silver running along the walls and ceiling, flying, taking off, fighting killing. Drogon walked further ahead and Daenerys followed. The tunnel opened into a large circular room that extended upward towards a domed ceiling that had once been made of stained class from what she could tell. She stood on a platform looking up trying to make out the pattern that it once held. Daenerys looked down, the floor extended beneath her five or four stories and ended in two giant brass doors at the center that seemed rigged to open downwards. There was glass scattered across the floor beneath her and the brass doors, bars extended outwards from above her at varying heights and widths. This was an Aviary, a Valyrian aviary for dragons. Her eyes stung with unshed tears and she murmured. "Blood of my blood."

Drogon, Vyserion and Rhaegal dashed upwards flying in a spinning pattern and hopping from one roost to another. Daenerys laughed and cried as she watched in amazement. Valyria, she was in Valyria, the land of her forefathers, the doom that everyone feared. She managed to make it here in her sleep.

)O(

Daenerys spent the next several days exploring the ruins, the trick was not to fly to low or too high. Too low and the poisoined gas that escaped the earth would give her visions and make her vomit violently. Too high and the smoke would choke her and make her eyes water.

In the first tower with the aviary she had found whips, saddles, harnesses to carry large objects. There was a small armory with blades and spears of Valyrian steel that she had dragged towards the entrance on her own. Further down there was a forge that was heated by the volcano, there was a skeleton of a dragon chained to the floor his jaws facing the forge. Daenerys had touched it gently and whispered a prayer and apology. She could have sworn that she saw something register in his eye socket. There was a mural and mosaic showing smiths and slaves making Valyrian steel. She studied it for hours, committing every detail to memory. She would have to find a trustworthy smith.

One of the last rooms she had explored had chains attached to the walls with remnants of the dead hanging from them. She murmured and apology and prayer like for the dragon beneath, but there was nothing but silence in response. She hoped she had begun to make up for the sins of her forefathers.

The rest of the towers yielded less information, scrolls that had cracked and disintegrated years ago. Murals of the triumph over Ghis and the Rhoynar, mosaics of women riding dragons into battle with little to wear. Many of the towers were too unstable to explore, or the entrances had collapsed. But Daenerys explored as much as she could before her water rations ran low.

On the last night she saw Quaithe. The woman stood silently in her presence waiting patiently as Drogon gave her a curious sniff. Daenerys took some comfort in the fact that Quiathe wasn't a byproduct of Targaryen insanity. She was wearing a robe that had been dyed in varying colors of red and orange giving it the appearance of flame, her mask was made of gold and rubies. Quaithe motioned for Daenerys to follow her onto the platform.

"Do you have more riddles for me?" She asked in exasperation.

"Look here for your answers. " Quaithe motioned for her to look below and suddenly Daenerys felt a chill.

Snow expanded for miles and the wind brought a chill that she thought would never be rid of. She wrapped her arms around her and yelled out for Quaithe. There was no answer, only the howl of the wind. She walked for a bit, her feet crunching in the snow and she called out for Quaithe, Drogon, her children, anyone. The saw something through the snow, so massive that at first she could not fathom what it was. It was a wall of ice that seemed to reach to the clouds.

Daenerys wondered at how long it must have taken to build such a marvel and remembered her brother telling her about the Wall in the North. He had told her that the northerners had built a massive wall to protect them from savages in the icelands and their superstitions. He had always told her that it was probably just a few blocks of ice that stretched across the border. This was so much more. For a moment she forgot the cold and marveled at this wonder, the North was not a band of barely civilized savages, her brother (as always) was wrong.

Suddenly Daenerys heard a twig snap behind her and turned to see, a corpse stood over her and fixed its blue eyes gaze on her. It had eyes bluer than any sky she had ever seen and pale white skin stretched over bone. There was no kindness in those eyes, no took a step back in fear, this was not something natural. He raised a blade made of ice or crystal and Daenerys bolted. Fear gripped her harder than the cold and she ran towards the wall, he was following closely behind. She tripped on a branch hidden under the snow and turned in time to see the cold one looming over her. As he raised his crystal sword to kill her, another blade cut through his arm. The creature let out an ungodly cry as a figure in black drove his blade into his chest and the creature shattered. Her savior turned to look at her, grey eyes met violet and Daenerys smiled in gratitude. He continued to peer at her and Daenerys soon realized that he could not see her. He was trying to see what the cold one had been trying to kill. She looked closely at his face, piercing grey eyes on a long handsome face with scars over his eyes. His dark brown hair and eyes reminded her of someone, Arya. A wolf was beside him with deep red eyes and fur as white as the snow surrounding them. He sniffed Daenerys causing his owner to reach out to feel if there was anything there, she reached her own hand out towards him but passed right though him. She was here, but not.

"Lord Commander!" a man rode into view gripping a dragonglass dagger in one hand and the reins in another. " The scouts caught a woman trying to enter through the tunnel, she was riding a wolf!"

Hope and fear showed in his eyes and for a moment smile spread across his face that seemed to melt the ice around her.

"Arya." He whispered. He whistled for his horse and rode off at a gallop for the wall.

Quaithe appeared before her and the scene changed she was looking down from the platform again, but she was still in the north, below her an army of the dead stretched out for acres making their way slowly, but surely towards the wall.

"Before you march South, you must march North. What good is a throne when there is no one to rule over but the dead? The night that never ends is upon us all, and only the Nights Watch stands between the dead and the world."

Daenerys looked out at the army of the dead and turned to Quaithe, "How do we stop this?"

"The dragon must have three heads. Kings Landing is not the prize, the light is. Defeat the shadows, go through the shadows and bring the light."

"I thought I had to go to Asshai?"

"Never go to Asshai, they lust for your dragons. Hurry, the faceless wolf is in Rhaegal, saddle him and load the packs on your children. Only the steel of your forefathers and dragonglass can kill the White Walkers."

Daenerys called out to Arya and told her to stay still so she could load more weapons and goods onto her children. Viserion was a little more difficult, he had been overly cautious since the fight, but she managed to soothe his fear.

They took off early in the morning and Daenerys finally knew the path before her.