Among smallfolk of the Kingswood, there is a legend that if you follow a spiraling path for a day and a night, you will eventually find your way to a very large clearing, comparable in size to the Dragon Pit. At its center, you will find an old weirwood and next to it was a magnificent golden tree unlike anything ever seen in the entire world…
Many stories came from this legend. Some claimed that the trees were evil, and summoned strange creatures from worlds unknown – living trees, twisted giants and bright, beautiful creatures that are to man as man are to apes. Others said the golden tree was nothing more than an ordinary beech tree, and that it was the Weirwood which had magic, being a portal to evil places.
Naturally, such legends were dismissed as the fanciful tales until the local villages began seeing a dragon. For the first time since the reign of Aegon Dragonbane, people saw a dragon. They reported this to their lords, who then reported it to King's Landing.
The court was skeptical of this, dismissing it, but as more and more reports came of dragon sightings as well as missing livestock, they sent out men to investigate, though with caution. Many still remember the havoc caused by the Kingswood Brotherhood a year ago, and there were many who suspected that this may be another ploy by some new group of bandits, or perhaps an elaborately poor jape.
Fate, it seemed, had other plans, for on the second day, the investigators saw a small dragon fly across the sky, carrying away a sheep from one of the nearby villages. The King's men immediately reported what they saw.
Upon confirming the news from other sources (and promising torture should they lie), King Aerys, his son, Rhaegar and five of the Kingsguard excitedly descended into the Kingswood. It had been the first time Aerys had been willing to leave the Red Keep since Duskendale.
Over the next three days since his arrival, the king saw, not one, but four dragons, twice in the morning and twice in afternoon, each one stealing bearing away a boar or a sheep. Awed, the king promised a lordship and a castle to anyone who could bring him the beasts, and soon a small army of men began searching the Kingswood, among these, the Prince and the Kingsguard.
For a day and a night they searched, to no avail, until they saw the dragons again, coming from the direction of the Wendwater. At the head of the search party was the Crown Prince, guarded by Ser Arthur Dayne and Ser Barristan Selmy, who pursued the dragons relentlessly despite the pleading of his Kingsguard to remain at the camp.
They rode hard, desperate to not lose sight of the dragons again. They eventually found themselves at an unfamiliar part of the forest, and they began following a spiral path for many hours. None of the local foresters seem to recognize the area, and soon, there was talk of sorcery and old legends among the search party's lips. How little they would know the truth of their words, for the Prince and his entourage soon found themselves in front of a large clearing, slightly bigger than the Dragon Pit.
There, lay more than two dozen dragons and other strange creatures.
Many of these were small, barely larger than a small hut, but there were also larger ones as well, as large as the Dragons during the Dance. There were variations in shape as well, with some dragons more akin to Valyrian dragons and others having four limbs as well as their wings and whose scales looked like jewels. There were also dragons that looked like elaborate four legged serpents with fur covering their scales. Others looked like they were a cross between a reptile and an eel. And near the back, trying to conceal themselves, were dragon's whose faces and wings looked wretched and scarred, as though they had been tortured.
As the party had a chance to observe more of the clearing, they saw more than just dragons. There were walking trees. There were also giants 10 to nine feet tall, and all manner of tiny creatures, including a giant eagle sleeping on the arms of a sentient tree. The eagle appeared to be injured.
All of them looked at the Prince and his party with wary, intelligent eyes. The Prince leapt from his horse, and ignoring the warning of his guards, began to slowly approach the dragons. Rhaegar paused as one of the larger dragons, a four legged beast with scarred scales and wings, intercepted him, its eyes looking down at the prince as though willing him to turn back. It was going to do something, but one of furred serpent-like dragons – an elegant Cerulean specimen – quickly glided over and grabbed one of his wings and spoke to him…
The four legged dragon halted and it, too, spoke in some unknown language, clearly arguing with the Serpent-Dragon over the Prince. When it hesitated to back away, the Serpent Dragon let out a small stream of fire to make its point.
Immediately, swords were unsheathed and horses screamed, and then the other dragons quickly stood up, as though readying themselves for battle. It should have been disaster, but a loud voice stopped the escalation. The two dragons paused and quickly stood down, before retreating back to their previous positions.
The Prince tried to search for the source of the voice, and found that it had come from two giant trees at the center of the clearing, one a giant Weirwood and the other, an unknown tree, its bark the color of silver. From behind both trees emerged two old men, robed in blue and holding elegantly carved staves. With a few unknown words, the dragons, giants and walking trees calmed, though they continued to stare at Rhaegar and his Kingsguard with suspicion.
"My Prince we should head back," Ser Arthur Dayne said, worry clear in his voice.
Rhaegar, however, was transfixed by the wonders before him. He raised his hands at the two robed men, who were cautiously but steadily walking towards him. Wizards! He thought instinctively, though they didn't look like any wizard he had heard of. Don't jump to conclusions, fool! Calm yourself. Be patient. Think! The two 'wizards' looked haggard and tired, more like worn out soldiers than creatures of wonder and terror.
"Rhaegar!" Dayne hissed in the Prince's ear, pleading and concern his liege's safety. "We should leave."
"I agree my prince. We are in no-"
But Rhaegar ignored them, and began to walk towards the old men, and consequently forcing and Selmy and Dayne to follow. The rest of the Prince's entourage of began to follow, but Selmy held up a hand to make them stay. He judged that if the Prince must insist in this folly, then he might as well appear as nonthreatening as possible. If the situation leads to violence there's nothing a few extra men can do.
Rhaegar took the time to observe the old men. Both wore old blue robes, but carried an assortment of pouches and trinkets. One was a tall figure, with the build of a workman. He carried an elegant sabre to his side, its scabbard worn. "What do you make of the tall one?" Rhaegar whispered to his Kingsguards.
"A warrior," Dayne answered curtly.
"The way that one walks, my prince," Selmy added. "Definitely a warrior."
They're right, Rhaegar thought, before turning his eyes to the other old man. This one looked like maester of medicine. He had the special patient look of physicians whenever they diagnosed their patients.
"A maester?" Dayne wondered echoing Rhaegar's thoughts.
"Or more likely, a Wizard" When Dayne looked at Selmy, he said, "we're all thinking it."
"We'll know soon enough." As they approached the old men, more of the dragons began talking to each other. Rhaegar furrowed his brows. That can't be right, and yet he could not ignore his eyes. The Dragons' mouths were moving in a way a man's might speaking, and the same is true for the walking trees, and the giants, and the other strange creatures that were here.
"My Prince, look!" Selmy pointed at two of the dragons then at another. Their bodies bore scars and another had a missing limb. "Did these sorcerers enslave these creatures?"
Rhaegar was going to answer, but the taller of the old men said something when they were only a few paces away. Rhaegar presumed it was a greeting, but if it was, he could not understand it. They said another set of greetings and this too was barely understood.
"Hello. Greetings friends!" Rhaegar said, but the two also did not understand in common Westerosi. The situation did not change once they were face to face. "Are those dragons yours, good sirs?" Rhaegar asked, speaking slower.
The two men merely looked at each other then at the two dragons from earlier, who likewise showed puzzlement. Frustrated, both sides discussed the situation among their own.
"Maybe they're from Asshai?"Selmy suggested. "I've heard of strange tales-"
"They are not from Asshai," Rhaegar said. "I've met some from that distant land and they are nothing like these men.
"We should head back. Summon a measter or perhaps a-" Dayne paused as the old men gestured for their attention.
"Alatar," the shorter of the wizards said, pointing at himself. "A-La-Tar."
And before the Rhaegar could say anything, the other one spoke, and gesturing to himself. "Pallando," he said, frowning, before turning to the two dragons from earlier, the Cerulean Serpent-Dragon and the scarred one, summoning them forward with words and gestures.
They spoke hesitantly to Pallando but the old man's voice was filled with insistence. And, slowly, the two obeyed. When the two behemoths came over, they towered over the Prince and the men he left behind at the edge of the clearing looked like they were close to fleeing.
"Nu Wa," Alatar pointed at Serpent Dragon, who looked at the Prince with calm, dignified eyes. Her body was coiled, and her limbs tucked in. She bent close to the Prince, said something in a soothing voice, bowed respectfully and returned to her previous position.
Alatar then pointed at the four footed dragon, its torso and limbs covered in claw scars of battle and the burn scars of searing chains. "Narsogalagon," Alatar said the Dragon's name, and it stood as a man might stand, and with curt bow, said something equally curt to the Prince and pointed at himself. "Nars."
Rhaegar was astonished. "Nars?"
"Nars," Narsologalagon answered.
"And… Nu Wa," Rhaegar pointed at Nuwa.
"Nu Wa," the dragon-serpent answered, its features smiling as a human might smile.
Talking Dragons. Seven preserve me. I must be going mad…
Rhaegar was confused, or perhaps, it would have been better to say, his mind did not know where to begin. Behind him, Dayne and Selmy were having the same response.
Gathering his thoughts, Rhaegar went for the obvious response to these strangers. "Rhaegar," the Prince said, pointing at himself, smiling. "Rhaegar Targaryen, Crown Prince of the Seven Kingdoms. I greet you in the name of my father, my house and my lords." Rhaegar continued talking like an excited child, and Pallando raised a hand. The prince looked at them and they gave him puzzled looks.
Irritated, the Prince spoke in Valyrian. When that led to confused faces, he tried several Essosi languages, and some antiquated one. When that, too, failed, he looked at Dayne and Selmy for help, but they too were helpless.
"Rhaegar," Nu Wa said suddenly in her lilting voice, and she gave another short bow to the Prince.
Alatar, Pallando and Narsologalagon also said his name, to signal they understood. And then the four legged Dragon pointed at the sigil on his breast plate, the three headed dragon and said. "Targaryen."
"Yes," Rhaegar said beaming. "Rhaegar Targaryen. That is my name " And then he began introducing his kingsguard, who like the rest of the entourage, were stood in an almost trance-like.
"Barristan. Arthur," the serpent-dragons and the old men repeated the names with gentle smiles. To their credit, Dayne and Selmy managed to bow their heads even as their legs shook.
Rhaegar turned back to his entourage, and tried to summon some of the lords who rode with him. When he turned back, Alatar staff was glowing.
"Sorcerer!" Semly whispered in wonder and fear, his sword partly out of his scabbard without his knowledge.
Rhaegar did not have time to think when Pallando, with inhuman speed, reached for his sheathed sword, laid it on the palm of right hand (still sheathed) and, slowly and deliberately, laid it on the ground, even as he held on to his staff with his left hand. Selmy and Dayne had their swords out now but the wizards remained calm, as were the dragons.
Alatar then whirled his staff a little, and from it emerged a tiny blue dragon, eating a cow's carcass. Rhaegar and his men stared at this in wonder and confusion until understanding came to Rhaegar's mind. Of course! Rhaegar wanted to scream at himself. The peasant's reports. The missing livestocks.
"They're starving!" Arthur Dayne almost cried, shocking Rhaegar from his thoughts. "Of course! "
The two wizards nodded their heads and began imitating a person putting food in their mouth.
"Ser Barristan," Rhaegar almost screamed.
"My Prince."
"Take five men and hurry back to camp. Tell my father-" Alatar's gestured for Rhaegar to stop. He then talked briefly with Nu Wa before turning to Nars and Pallando. They seemed to be debating, but after about a minute of argument, Alatar won, and Nu Wa lowered her serpent-like body to the ground, and Alatar began climbing on to it.
Once there, he motioned for Rhaegar and his Kingsguard to join him.
I could not refuse something like this, Rhaegar thought as he touched Nu Wa's scales, before he began climbing her.
"My Prince…" Dayne cautioned, but before he could say anything else, Narsogalagon gently grabbed him and Selmy, and put them on Nu Wa's back. Pallando scolded the dragon, but Rhaegar couldn't care. He was going to ride a dragon. He then looked at rest of his entourage, who looked paralyze by awe. With a loud voice, he ordered them to meet him back at the camp, and to spread word of their discovery.
Alatar and Nu Wa, looked back at Rhaegar and uttered a few questioning words.
"I think they're asking if we're ready, my Prince," Selmy said.
Rhaegar looked back at Nu Wa, and with a wide smile, said, "Yes. My Lady. I'm ready."
And with that, Nu Wa gracefully glided to the air, and into a new Age for Westeros.
