Chapter 18

They took off at the break of dawn the next day, just as the sun began to rise on the distant horizon. Unlike the first time, Myranda wasn't afraid to approach Ancalagon this time. This was partly because he was there, giving her the assurance that Ancalagon wouldn't harm her, and partly because she had ridden him before and knew that nothing would happen to her, or at least that he wouldn't mistake her for a snack.

Even though he said he didn't want to visit the other Free Cities first, he still felt the urge to fly over Tyrosh and take a look at it from the air. On the flight there, he noticed something as they flew over the Stepstones.

The Stepstones are a collection of islands symbolizing the shortest distance between the vast landmasses of Westeros and Essos. According to legend, a land bridge called the Arm of Dorne once connected Westeros and Essos. The Broken Arm and the Stepstones were created when the Arm of Dorne was shattered by the Breaking, the usage of the Hammer of the Waters by the Children of the Forest.

The First Men also used the Arm of Dorne to travel from Essos to Westeros and settle in this new land, which eventually led to the creation of the White Walkers by the Children of the Forest.

Although this region lies between Tyrosh and Lys, and near Dorne, he noticed several small villages had sprung up there. He knew these were pirate villages even though he hadn't always paid attention in his lessons.

In the future, when the Doom of Valyria occurs, pirates will grow even more in number as no one will be left to keep them in check. Even though it won't happen in the near future, he definitely wants to make something out of this region. It won't be easy since the area is very intricate and incredibly vast, but if he succeeds, he will have unimaginable power, as anyone trading to or from Westeros will have to pass through his territory.

This will require a massive fleet, but fortunately, he is the heir to one of the richest families in the world. Not to mention his own considerable and steadily growing fortune from his whiskey business. And the first step to achieve all this will be ridding this region of pirates once and for all, but this will be left for the future him.

It didn't take long before Kaelarys and Myranda had Tyrosh in sight. It was a fairly ordinary city, but it wasn't really fair to judge it right after coming from Lys, a city often referred to as a paradise. Tyrosh is a port city, with a considerable harbor likely filled with hundreds of docked ships. While not as large as the lagoon of Volantis, it was still a very big port, but not even Valyria could rival Volantis in that regard.

Like every other Free City, Tyrosh was initially meant to be a military outpost. But shortly after its founding, Tyrosh quickly grew into a wealthy city due to the discovery of a certain variety of sea snail that can be used to create various colors which the nobles in Valyria quickly grew fond of.

Because Tyrosh was originally intended to be a military outpost, the city was built accordingly. Tyrosh is a fortress city protected by high walls, and its inner walls are fused black dragonstone. At the mouth of its harbor lies the Bleeding Tower. As the name suggests, it is a large red tower that, similar to the Hightower in Oldtown, functions as a lighthouse, though the Bleeding Tower is much smaller and narrower.

After admiring the city for a while, they flew further northeast towards House Stark. Kaelarys decided to take the liberty of flying over Storm's End as well, since it was conveniently along the way.

Less than an hour later, they were over Storm's End.

He would have loved to be down there to see the looks on people's faces, as he didn't know of a single dragonrider who had ever come to Westeros. This was because the Valyrians viewed them as little more than barbarians. Additionally, there were prophecies, such as the one that claimed the gold of the Lannisters would bring about the downfall of the Valyrian Freehold. Not that he believed in them, of course.

Storm's End is surrounded by a massive outer curtain wall, one hundred feet high and forty feet thick on its thinnest side and nearly eighty feet thick on its seaward side. It is composed of a double course of pale grey stone with an inner core of sand and rubble. The wall is smooth and curving, the stones so well placed and so perfectly fit together that the wind can find no purchase. On the seaward side, there is a one hundred fifty foot drop below the wall into the sea. There is no safe anchorage by the castle. The curtain wall protects the castle's kitchens, stables, and yard.

Storm's End has only one tower, a colossal drum tower crowned with formidable battlements, making it look like a huge, spiked fist thrusting towards the sky from afar.

If he didn't possess powerful magic himself and wasn't riding a gigantic dragon, he wouldn't know how to take this castle without incurring losses in the tens of thousands. It is truly a fortress like no other. And when he thinks about how Casterly Rock and Winterfell are even more impressive, he can hardly wait to arrive there.

Their journey continued into the region that would eventually become the Crown Lands, flying over the future Kingswood and heading towards Darry. Darry is a small castle which includes a gatehouse, ramparts, stables, and a yard. Nothing that warrants much recognition, but it was on their way.

From Darry, they proceeded further north, passing over rolling hills and dense forests. The landscape gradually grew wilder and more rugged as they approached the North. They followed the path of the Trident, the great river that divided the region, its waters glinting in the sunlight.

Crossing the swamps and bogs of the Neck, they soon came into view of Moat Cailin, an ancient fortress that guarded the entrance to the North. It was obvious that the castle had seen better days. It wasn't in ruins as it would be centuries from now, but it was still quite dilapidated. Perhaps there had been a battle here not too long ago. Who knows.

Leaving Moat Cailin behind, they flew further into the North, the air growing colder and crisper. The vast and untamed wilderness stretched out beneath them, a stark contrast to the more densely populated south. They passed over scattered villages and holdfasts, the homes of hardy northerners who eked out a living in this harsh land.

The weather grew colder, and the landscape became increasingly covered in snow. Myranda started to feel quite cold, especially at this altitude, but luckily he had thought ahead and brought warm clothing. Additionally, he radiated heat as if he were a dragon himself. Because of this, Myranda snuggled up to Kaelarys to stay warm.

Even though he was eager to see Winterfell, he thought it might not be wise to arrive at the break of night. Dragons, especially larger ones, fly very fast, but the journey from Lys to Winterfell had taken almost the entire day, and he didn't want to arrive and immediately go to bed.

Therefore, he decided to land a bit west of the road leading up to Winterfell to avoid startling any people nearby.

As they descended, the sun was setting, casting a golden glow over the snow-covered landscape. Kaelarys found a clearing surrounded by trees, providing some shelter from the wind. The area was secluded, ensuring they wouldn't be easily noticed.

After landing, Kaelarys helped Myranda dismount, making sure she was comfortable and warm. They set up a small camp, with Kaelarys using his magic to light a fire. She was surprised at first but quickly realized that having fire magic is relatively common among Vaylrian people.

"Finally, we can relax a bit," Myranda began. "At first, I thought it would be a fun trip for both of us, but after an entire day on a dragon, I feel like I've aged 40 years and stink worse than I ever have."

"Oh, is my Myranda getting annoyed? I don't think I've ever seen this side of you," I said teasingly, making a bit of fun of her. Before I could finish my thought, I felt as though someone had knocked the wind out of me as her full 65 kilos slammed into me, throwing me to the ground.

"Is that so?" said the beauty above me, her tone inscrutable, which made me a bit nervous. "I'm quite sure we've made sure you know all my sides. From above, from below and surely from behind."

I laughed, having realized her playfulness, and looked up at her. "Okay, okay, you win."

She smirked and leaned down, her face close to mine. "Good. Now, why don't you help me get rid of this smell? We both need a good wash after today."

Ancalagon had already settled down and didn't seem inclined to follow us. Not that he needed to, as there was a small stream not far away, barely a two-minute walk. It wasn't very large, but it was enough for us to wash up and get rid of the dragon smell.

After we cleaned ourselves, we walked back to our little camp and snuggled by the fire. Myranda fell asleep quickly, unlike me. I had a lot on my mind and couldn't wait for the next day, making it hard to fall asleep. But when sleep finally came, it was incredibly beautiful.

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Yo yo yo, I just had the thought that I should write as many words per chapter as I want. At the end of the day, what really matters is the progress of the story and not whether it's 2000 words or 1.7k.