Chapter 146: Return
Rumble...
The castle gates were pushed open, and Viserys entered with a group of knights.
Princess Rhaenyra and Daenerys, along with the maesters and numerous castle servants, gathered at the entrance to greet them.
"Your Grace."
Then, one by one, many knelt before him.
Viserys was dressed in simple clothing, slightly wrinkled breeches and boots, with a leather belt around his waist, and a longsword at his side.
Atop his head, he wore a glittering golden crown, his silver-gold hair cascading down his back, the long strands gently fluttering in the wind.
Viserys Targaryen III, at the age of fourteen, had led his troops to conquer the Rhoynar near the Two Rivers in just six months and had successfully defeated a powerful Dothraki horselord, achieving his first major victory in life before returning with his army.
The young king still looked the same, except now his cheeks bore traces of hardship, and his youthful naivete had been stripped away, leaving his eyes deeper and more profound.
He glanced at the people kneeling before him, then nodded and spoke.
"Rise, all of you."
Upon hearing Viserys' command, the people on the ground stood up and dusted themselves off.
Splash...
Viserys dismounted his horse as well.
A servant took the reins from his hands, and the victorious knights who had followed Viserys also dismounted one after another.
After handing the reins to the servant, Viserys quickly walked over to Daenerys.
Looking at his younger sister, who was only waist-high to him and wearing a large hood with a circle of white gauze around it, he crouched down and tightly embraced Daenerys.
"I'm sorry, Dany."
"I came back too late."
Viserys had already heard the news upon his arrival in Andalos.
Although Rhaenyra had promptly ordered a lockdown on the information, there were no secrets that could be kept for long.
News about the castle fire, Princess Daenerys emerging from the flames with three dragon hatchlings, had quickly spread throughout Andalos.
Soon after, the news of Viserys' victory over Khal Drogo in Ghis accompanied the merchant caravans and gradually made its way back.
According to the traveling merchants, the ancient Valyrian road was littered with the corpses of Dothraki, and the blood had turned the Little Rhoyne River red.
Vultures and crows circled overhead, fighting over the rotting bodies, and the nauseating stench of decay lingered even after more than a month.
Many merchant caravans were forced to take alternate routes.
Princess Daenerys had hatched dragons, and Viserys had defeated the Dothraki invasion.
These two pieces of good news quickly spread throughout Andalos, and people celebrated, believing that the king was the true dragon of legend, and that one day he would reclaim the Iron Throne.
Feeling Viserys' warm embrace and the strong scent of blood that accompanied him, Daenerys sniffed softly.
"Brother... I'm fine."
Actually, having so much time passed since the incident, Daenerys had long come to terms with it.
But now, seeing her relative whom she hadn't seen in half a year, and being comforted by his tight embrace, the girl's grievances could no longer be contained.
Her beautiful eyes were misty with tears beneath the white gauze, her young shoulders trembling as if she were softly sobbing.
Hearing his sister's anguished cries, Viserys felt a pang of heart ache.
He hadn't expected such a thing to happen. Although he knew Daenerys had the blood of the true dragons and could hatch dragons, he hadn't imagined it would happen like this - a sudden fire after he had been away for half a year, killing the servants in the castle and hatching dragons.
"Can I take a look?"
Viserys then raised his head, cautiously wanting to see Daenerys's current appearance.
"No...no!"
However, the girl choking back tears firmly held down the hat on her head.
Although her once bald head had grown some eyebrows and hair after so much time, Daenerys still firmly refused to let Viserys see her current appearance.
"Alright."
Seeing Daenerys's determined attitude, Viserys had no choice but to give up. Finally, he hugged his sister tightly once more before standing up and looking at Rhaenyra standing beside him.
"Thank you."
He knew that after he left, a lot of work had fallen on Rhaenyra's shoulders.
The brown-haired girl was now wearing an elegant black velvet gown, her hands resting in front of her.
She had silently watched the entire reunion between Viserys and Daenerys and then looked up and said softly.
"It wasn't difficult, Viserys."
"I'm just afraid you'll blame me for messing up many things."
Rhaenyra looked a bit worried, as things had been going wrong lately, and she hadn't been doing well enough.
Afraid that Viserys might notice something, the girl blinked her lovely eyes and displayed a big smile.
"Hey—"
The girl's brilliant smile caught Viserys's eyes.
He looked at Rhaenyra's still cheerful and optimistic expression, not sure if he had really seen something. He hesitated for a moment and then smiled.
"It's fine."
"No matter what happened."
He then gently hugged Rhaenyra as well.
"Let's go inside and talk about the rest."
As they spoke, a shadow passed over them in the sky, accompanied by a deep growl.
Crack—
Sharp claws gripped the castle's stone walls, with debris and dust falling down.
"What is that?"
"Protect the king!"
Clang, clang, clang—
The knights following Viserys reacted quickly, drawing their shining swords and forming a circle around the king for protection.
Viserys, however, didn't panic. He stood quietly inside the circle, one hand on his sword hilt, and looked up at the shadow above.
"This is…"
Under the brilliant sunlight, black scales reflected a metallic sheen, with gaps between the scales resembling flowing lava. A long neck supported a hideous head held high.
A pair of crimson eyes reflected Viserys's figure.
It felt that this person seemed somewhat familiar.
And Viserys, looking up at the dragon above, squinted his eyes due to the bright sunlight, with one hand forming a shade.
He suddenly felt that this dragon resembled the one he had seen in his dragon dreams.
"Is it… Balerion?"
...