Chapter 501: Beyond the Wall

"Oh?"

Without seeing the puzzled look on Balerion's dragon face, through the telepathic connection between human and dragon, Viserys knew that Balerion sensed nothing.

"The rumor that Winterfell possesses a dragon egg dates back to the time of Viserys I, during the Dance of the Dragons," Viserys declared, holding a torch aloft as he exited the library tower, then headed towards the position of Winterfell's main keep, speaking as he went.

Balerion was clever, its intelligence now comparable to a human adolescent, though it had grown so large and was not yet an adult.

Viserys liked to talk to it when idle; the human and dragon were partners and friends alike.

Through their telepathic bond, Balerion could understand Viserys's words and record this knowledge, accumulating the wisdom that a long-lived dragon might possess.

Viserys had read about the dragon egg rumor in the Red Keep's library, and thanks to his powerful mental faculties, he could remember everything he saw or heard, even if he did not pay close attention.

"There was a fool in the Red Keep at that time, named 'Mushroom'. Ah yes, he was a dwarf," Viserys began, his voice echoing in the silent Winterfell. Seeing Balerion's confusion over this term, he explained, "Tyrion, whom you've met. The small one."

Balerion understood human names and, upon hearing Viserys's explanation, seemed enlightened, as Tyrion had left a slight impression on him.

Humans looked like 'little beans' to it, and Tyrion, upon first meeting, astonished Balerion as a 'little bean among little beans', and not a human child but an adult.

For some reason, animals distinguish clearly between human children and adults, perhaps children's eyes are purer.

"This Mushroom, a dwarf just three feet tall with an oversized head, claimed a remarkable memory but was considered a fool in the Red Keep, witnessing many conspiracies," Viserys continued.

"Later, his words were recorded, revealing many royal secrets never heard before, in a book called 'Mushroom's Testimony'."

"The rumor that Vermithrax laid one or more dragon eggs in Winterfell originated here, though unconfirmed to this day."

"However, 'Mushroom's Testimony' is filled with sensual stories among royals and nobles, exaggeratedly presented, and much has been proven false."

"Archmaester Gyldayn of the Citadel, author of 'Blood and Fire', 'The Princess and the Queen', 'The Rogue Prince', 'Sons of the Dragon', quoted this dwarf, thinking him a liar."

"Because Vermithrax was a male dragon."

Viserys couldn't help but laugh at this; Balerion was a male dragon too, and if anyone tried to force it to lay eggs, Balerion would likely bite them dead.

Now, Viserys had pushed open the doors of Winterfell's main keep, a sturdy structure with its roof intact despite the heavy snow, though the inside was in disarray, still bearing the signs of battle.

Suddenly, a shadow on the window sill above his head pounced, blue eyes glaring, mouth open in a sharp cry, aiming for Viserys's throat.

"Hmm?"

But Viserys was quick, dodging easily, his pale violet eyes fixing on the attacker.

Another shadow screamed, lunging from behind him.

More than one shadow hid within the keep!

But then, the first attacker howled, striking the second, clawing off its head.

Splash—

Then it tore off its own head, scattering into a pile of broken bones.

These were wights, their bodies dead long ago, their last remnants of the Others' magic extinguished by Viserys's hand.

But strangely, this wight had remained silent, even attempting to ambush Viserys from behind.

Or perhaps it was trapped in Winterfell's main keep and had been unable to leave until Viserys had opened the door, startling it.

At this moment, Balerion, lying in the square outside the main keep, emitted a deep roar, and Viserys, feeling the dragon's intent, paused in thought.

"You mean there may have been a dragon egg here, but now it has vanished?"

A dragon's essence could linger in a place for a long time, decades or centuries. This magical trace, imperceptible to humans, could be sensed by dragons if they tried.

Thus, every long-lived dragon was a living history.

Winterfell's existence spanned the long history of Westeros, and many famous historical events bore its shadow.

Viserys did not know which dragon egg might have been stored in Winterfell, whether it was truly Vermithrax's, or Meraxes's, or Rhaenys's, or Prince Maelor's lost egg.

But who had taken it later?

The Targaryens had lost too many dragon eggs, now scattered to unknown corners of the world.

But Winterfell's secrets might unravel when Viserys returned with his army; he had no time to dig into them now.

He visited Winterfell's crypts, finding only deep pits where once the lords had lain, now vanished.

Viserys found a relatively clean room in Winterfell to rest for the night, and he and Balerion set out again the next morning.

They flew over the vast Wolfswood, over towering ridges, and finally crossed the majestic Wall.

At that moment, the branch of the heart tree in Viserys's arms burst into golden light.

The silver-haired youth took it out, and the branch of the heart tree ignited, scattering into countless golden sparks.

The heart tree had shown him the way to find the Three-Eyed Raven, and through these sparks, Viserys saw a scene.

An endless army of the dead was besieging an ancient tree.