123

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208 AC

Oldtown

Advar

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"Damn!" I jump back and bark a curse as my Son lets go of his side of the crate we were carrying and it nearly falls back on top of me. "What in the Seven Hells are you doing boy!?" I look up at my fool of a Son who is gazing off longingly before shaking his head with some fear in his eyes.

"Sorry Father... I saw her again and got distracted." I almost knock him over the head hearing he nearly got me crushed over some girl before I stop and look toward where he was looking.

"Where?" I ask wanting to see for myself if all this fuss is worth it, the way he talks about her she seems to be made of gold or something.

"Don't look you fool!" He hisses and shoves the crate toward me with a push of his foot trying to distract me. "Let's finish what we were doing..." I shake my head and hold up my hand.

"I want to see." I state firmly and he sighs and nods toward a building and I raise a brow before looking at it closely.

I don't even see anyone... just some old lady hanging up som- oh I see her.

"Ah." I nod in understanding watching the young lady help the older woman by taking some of the clothes so she can hang them up.

"What do you mean 'ah'?" My Son huffs and I shrug before leaning over to grab my side of the crate again.

He frowns but leans down to grab his side and we both lift it back up.

"I can see why you like her... those teats coul- Fuck!" I once more jump back cursing as my Son drops his side, though this time it was obviously on purpose.

"Carry it yourself." He spins on his heels and I laugh heartily as I watch him noticeably avoid looking toward the young lady that caught his eye.

Opening my mouth to call out to him or maybe the young lady herself to further embarrass him I soon snap my mouth shut as a stench hits my nose and almost makes me gag.

The Sea... but it's not normal... it smells foul... almost rotten.

Turning toward the direction the breeze blew in from I spot the crystal clear water that lets ships into Oldtown from the Sea. The Hightower stands tall and proud out in the bay surrounded by ships coming and going.

I frown as the wind further blows the foul-smelling smell.

"Father?" I hear my Son speak up from beside me.

"You smell it?" I curiously ask as my hair stands up on my arms and neck.

"I do..." He shakes his head seemingly bothered by the smell.

It's wrong.

I can't put words to it... but the smell is not normal.

Wrong.

That is the only way to describe it.

"What do you think it is?" He asks and I shrug before looking around and to my surprise it's as if everyone in the area is all doing the same thing.

Looking toward the bay... toward the Hightower.

"I couldn't tell you... but I have never smelled something like this." I spent the better part of a decade on a ship.

I sailed the full coast of Westeros at least six times and the majority of Essos as well... never have I smelled the Sea smelling like this.

"We should finish what we were doing so we can head home, I feel like something is wrong." I nod at my son's words also with the urge to see my Wife and Daughter growing in my chest.

Something is not right about this.

Whispers.

Coming to a stop I look around again and see people whispering and pointing and I frown once more before turning away from the crate and back toward the bay.

"Do you see it as well?"

"I can see something."

"It looks like... tar?"

"The Hightower is bleeding!"

My eyes land upon the Hightower and they soon widen as I see black fluid seeping out even from this distance.

It's like watching black paint slowly soak the building dyeing it in its coloring.

"What do you think it is?" My Son once more asks me but this time it's obvious to tell he is nervous.

No... he is unsettled.

So am I.

"I-I couldn't tell you." I respond once more but feel my body shake a bit as I watch the black fluid cover the entirety of the Hightower.

Very wrong.

It almost hurts to look at.

As if my eyes will start bleeding if I keep staring.

"We need to go back home, now." My Son rapidly nods and we leave the damnable crate behind as many people around us also seem to have the same idea.

Though, some of the people seem to have fallen to their knees.

Praying.

Eyes leaking blood.

Wrong.

This is wrong.

"Move faster." I feel panic as I start to run back home to check on the rest of my family.

My Son does his best to keep up while pushing through the panicking crowd that seems to have become a frenzy. I grit my teeth and slow down a bit to grab his forearm to pull him along with me so I don't lose him in the mess of people.

In all my years I have never seen anything quite like this.

"RRRRAAAAAHHHHHHRRRRR!" A shadow consumes all of the Sun's light just long enough to cause the crowd to come to a stop before it disappears.

"A Dragon!" A child's voice calls out with a mix of excitement and fear.

"It's silver... I think that must be Prince Aerion Targaryens dragon, Moonfyre if I remember right." My Son speaks his mind but I shake my head and pull him along ignoring how the dragon is ominously circling the Hightower.

Like sharks around a man who has gone overboard.

"Emperor Aerion Targaryen..." I mutter as I remember the whispers I have heard down at the docks.

I have only heard people from Essos talking about it, traders, and the like.

No one else seems to be talking about it.

But that young Prince with far too many wives and children went off and became an Emperor over his ancestral lands from what I have heard.

A Dragon Lord.

I don't have the slightest idea what is going on.

But my gut tells me nothing good is about to happen.

"Father!" My Son shouts and soon the crowd once more starts to panic as I hear the dragon roar once more and hear what sounds like a screech from a bat but far too loud.

"We need to get home!" I shout back.

Home.

Wife and Daughter.

Leave this city.

That is all I care about at this moment.

"What in the Seven Hells is that?!"

"Monster!"

"Demon!"

"It's giant!"

"Run!"

I feel a strange urge to look back but ignore it as I grip my son's arm tighter and pull him along with more force.

Not looking back.

Not looking back.

Not loo- fuck.

Turning my head almost against my will to look over my shoulder I shudder and almost trip as I see a giant black 'thing' try and swat down the large silver dragon that retaliates by spitting a wave of silver fire upon the abomination.

I shouldn't have looked.

I can feel something leaking from my eyes.

Hot and smells like metal.

----

208 AC

Oldtown

Aerion Targaryen

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"What the fuck!?" I duck as a swarm of black oily birds try and dive bomb me off the back of my dragon.

This is not how I imagined today going.

Moonfyre roars with more rage than I have ever heard before she dives low under another large black limb extending from the side of the tower.

""THE BOTTOM!"" I shout hoping she can still hear me but as far as I can tell she can't and instead flaps her wings hard and slowly climbs upwards toward the sky.

Blood.

A misty hot blood.

Like getting hit in the face with a sauna.

Moonfyre is bleeding from her head... her eyes?

I feel my hands shaking as I watch her shake her head and spill large droplets of scarlet blood that falls down toward the sky-blue bay beneath us.

"Moonfyre... is hurt?" I feel a massive wave of confusion wash over me as she screeches and panics attempting to flee. "Moonfyre got hurt." I turn to look back at the tower that now looks 'normal' with the only noticeable difference being the entire thing is pitch black.

Like an oil spill slowly spreading I watch the bay become tainted with... disgusting filth.

It hurt my partner.

Hell nah.

Shaking my head and banishing the confusion I lean forward and grab ahold of one of my dragon's spikes on the back of her neck. With far more force than I have ever done before I flood her with what I have been calling my 'Divinity' and her wounded screams and panic stops almost immediately.

Good.

Now what?

I came here to make an example of the HighTowers.

Now though... this just got out of hand, massively.

Looking down as Moonfyre decides to spread her wings and glide in a circle high above the city I observe the dark oil spreading.

I get the feeling I do not want that to keep spreading.

It's almost instinctual.

Something deep inside of me detests this... filth.

Invader.

Clenching my hands open and closed I take slow but deep breaths.

This is an attack.

I don't understand who or what is doing it.

But it's an attack.

An attack upon what I consider mine.

One hand grabs Moonfyres spike once more and she trills as I once more flood her body with my Divinity.

Moonfyre without me needing to speak knows what I want.

She can feel it.

My Will.

I can feel her understanding as she tucks her wings and starts a sharp dive downwards.

I can almost see it happen before it does.

Moonfyres wings snap open over the edge of the city right as some dock workers start to flee into the distance as Moonfyre opens her mouth and bathes the docks in brighter-than-usual flames.

We will cut off its spread with a flaming circle.

Then we will slowly but surely burn every last drop of this filth that has trespassed into my world.

Hopefully at least.

Neither of us has ever fought anything like this before.

""Is it bad that I am getting excited?"" I ask my mount as she continues to let out a nearly endless stream of silver flames that are as bright as the Sun in the sky.

My heart hammers in my chest as I once more duck to avoid a black 'bird' that swiftly turns in the air and dives at me again. With an open palm aimed at it I smile as a spark turns into a flame and then a wave of fire that consumes the 'bird' with a loud shriek escaping it as it evaporates.

Yeah... I might just enjoy this far more than I should.