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298 AC
Stormlands - Ruins of Summerhall
Eragon Targaryen
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I watch as they tie the man a little older than me to a post in the middle of the pyre, he looks like shit and I can't help but feel a bit disgusted with what I am about to do. He carries the blood of the current 'king' and has the storm king's blood in him as well as some Targaryen blood. House Baratheon might have been founded by the half-brother of Aegon the conqueror but I don't know if that story is true. But Targaryens have indeed married them before and even recently with Rhaelle whose name is similar to my mom's.
She was my mom's aunt if I remember correctly so this man is pretty closely related to me, not close enough to be named a Kinslayer but still within spitting distance.
But if I am going, to be honest, all the doubt and second-guessing burned away and all that is left is determination. It happened after I heard one of the red priest that was standing to the side shout and point and follow his finger, I saw what changed any chance of me not walking onto the pyre.
"When the red star bleeds and the darkness gathers, Azor Ahai shall be born again amidst smoke and salt to wake dragons out of stone." I repeated the prophecy I once heard Melisandre tell us before back in the red temple in Braavos. "Who would have guessed it meant an actual star though, I thought maybe it would be one of those metaphors." I look from the man on the pyre and back to the sky where a red star slowly glides across the sky with a trail behind it resembling blood.
"It doesn't get much more on the nose than this." Melisandre stands behind me and I look back at her one last time and the obsessive look she has as she looks between the star the eggs the man and me gives me chills.
"Well, let's get this over with." I approach the pyre and climb up it, putting a hand on Brightroar I draw it and it ignites in golden flames.
I look at the man one more time and push the flaming tip into his heart and the flesh begins to burn with a sizzle. The smell assaults my nose and I bite down to not feel sick, I won't react and I will stand here until it's over.
All around the pyre I can hear the mumblings of prayer and even the weeping of an old woman. The flames spread from the burned man and down toward the wood. It takes longer than I would like to get close to me but I am unbothered by the heat, it feels more like a warm blanket than the flesh-melting heat it should be.
My boots are the first to start burning and I still feel no pain as it starts to travel up my pant leg. The smoke doesn't even make my eyes water and instead gives me clarity as I can see images flickering in the growing flames.
Times, when I was younger, drifted by and brought a genuine smile to my face. Danny being her adorable self fills my heart with joy, it's been too long since I saw her already and I never want to part from her again. Shiera the always studious girl and keeping her nose tucking in some book even when we tried to bother her. Rhaenyra facing off against me with a bruise on her cheek, I had accidentally hit her by mistake when training and she kept pushing on. Shaena helping me hide a jar I broke by mistake and I was crying but she couldn't stop laughing. Viserys passes by and he is telling me stories about the dragon's skulls and all about the red keep. Mom running her hand through my hair and then kissing my forehead.
My shirt starts to burn and my pants have already turned mostly to ash. I move my feet around and my boots fall off. I should have just walked onto the pyre naked, this wasted one of the only pairs of clothes I brought.
I look at my hand gripping the sword at the hair I stole from Danny and a grin spreads across my face.
I will be just fine.
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298 AC
Dorne - Sunspear
Shiera Targaryen
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I turn the page and almost jump out of my seat as the door to my room is thrown open and I look up to see Rhaenyra.
"Come look quickly!" She turns and runs off before I can even ask anything so I set the book down in case it's serious. I run after her and when I get outside into a small garden I see tons of people all looking up into the sky.
"It's beautiful." I can't help but comment when I see the large red star slowly gliding across the dark sky. It looks like it's leaving a bleeding wound across the sky as it cuts across it.
"When the red star bleeds." I hear a voice and look Infront of me and realize it was Daenerys.
"What?" I ask her and she doesn't take her eyes off the star and looks at it longingly.
"Melisandre told us a prophecy where a red star bleeds and then dragons wake from stone by the prince born of salt and smoke." My eyes widen and I look back at the star.
"It does look like it's bleeding." Rhaenyra comments.
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298 AC
Beyond the wall
Lagertha
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"What the hell even was that thing?" Geor asks as we both look behind us at the red star that is traveling farther and farther away from us.
Pain assaults my head and I fall to my knees.
A tree a giant Weirwood tree beside a frozen lake, a hole beside the tree that goes in between its roots. A tunnel traveling under the tree and short people with weird skin and eyes all looking at me. A man with roots growing through him, his one blood-red eye the same as the star glows as he looks at me.
"Are you ok?" I feel Geor shake me and I open my eyes.
"I think we are almost there."
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298 AC
Pentos
Cirilla Blackfyre
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"That looks ominous." I comment as we stand on a balcony watching a red star cut a scar across the sky.
"It could be, it could also be a good sign." Helaena comments as she watches it with a wistful look.
"What do you mean by that, like a good sign for battle or a bad sign for battle?" She shakes her head.
"Not battle, it is a sign of something to come though." Where is this little shit getting this stuff from?
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298 AC
The reach - The Citadel
Marwyn the mage
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Damn my head is pounding, I thought I put out the candle where is that damned light coming from. I open my eyes and see a bright red light from the window and hurry to see a red star shooting through the air and leaving a bloody trail.
"Sweet mother what is going on!?" I turn to grab my rod and when I do I watch with my very own eyes the obsidian candle in the corner of the room light up on its own.
I drop my rod and shuffle over to it with slow movements.
In the light of its pale flame, I see a man standing in a fire with a sword piercing a charred corpse. Who is this man, why is the candle showing this without anyone interacting with it?
I start to quickly write down everything I see and record it for later to read over, I can think about it later I can only see it now. This could be the key to learning how these damn things work.
A knock on my door interrupts me but I ignore it because this is too important.
"Damn Marwyn you drunk! We have an acolyte screaming in the vault that the cursed magic candle light up during his trial! Get out here and help us find out what is going on with this witchcraft!" So it's not just my candle, I can't leave for I might miss something happening in the vision.
Who is this man and what does he have to do with the candles starting to work?
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298 AC
Stormlands - Ruins of Summerhall
Melisandre
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We had to move away from the pyre as the flames became intense after some time and threatened to burn down the rest of the ruins. I walk back into the hall stepping on the ash and making my way to see the result.
A high pitch scream causes me to pause for a moment before my eyes widen and I rush around the corner and see my Prince sitting on the ground surrounded by ash and smoldering wood. He doesn't look my way but I can't blame him with what is currently climbing all over his naked form.
"I-Its dragons from stone, Hahaha." I feel joy as I look at the little scaled creatures climb over and under my Prince while he just looks blankly at them. "My Prince are you alright?" I walk closer and in my excitement forgot that they are dragons and a few of them start hissing and swinging their tiny winged arms around.
He stands slowly, his body covered in soot and ash and his hair a mess. His face slowly splits into a wide grin as a white dragon climbs up from his back and onto his head. It stands up on shaky legs and spreads its wings and squeals in a high-pitched tone.
"I am fine Melisandre, let's get out of here before someone investigates the massive fire we just had. Someone might already be on the way and we need to get these little babies out of danger as fast as possible." Like a father worried about his young he already seems concerned for their well being.
He bends down and grabs the last golden one from the floor and holds it in his hands as he starts walking to the door. Naked and smeared with black he walks right out the door and I have to pick up the pace to keep up with him.
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298 AC
Stormlands - Ruins of Summerhall
Eragon Targaryen
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I walk outside and the few priests who helped set all of this up go wide eyed when they see the dragons- no, when they see my kids crawling and climbing me like a tree. One drops to his knees and starts praying and soon the others go to there knees and start praying as well.
Arrax who is the white dragon on my head with his front claws digging into my forehead to keep from falling lets out a squeal seeing them. The others each make there own chirps and whistles as they look toward the people.
I just realized I am still naked and forgot Brightroar and turn around to go grab it and maybe some clothes and see Melisandre quickly walking up behind me with Brightroar in hand.
"My Prince please slow down you forgot your sword, and you need to at least put on some pants." I chuckle and take my sword from her and notice her neck is visible without her necklace. This is the first time i have seen her without the collar like necklace with the ruby embedded into it.
"What happened to your necklace? You look good even without it." She tilts her head while bringing a hand to her neck and touching the bare skin her eyes widen and she grips her neck with both hands.
"What?! Where is it?!" She pats her neck and clothes in a hurry and looks around wildly before she stiffens and holds a hand Infront of her in the light of a fire.
"What's wrong?" I ask her and she slowly turns around with a confused look etched on her face.
"There is nothing wrong and that in itself should be wrong."