Chapter 462: The Birth of a Young Dragon

Nightfall, Oldtown.

Starry Sept.

Rhaegar lay on his back in the center of the Seven Gods' sculpture, his eyes slightly closed, breathing steadily and powerfully.

The great sword Dawn lay beside him, its blade like transparent crystal, reflecting the starlight and moonlight.

Outside, the holy sisters knelt in prayer, undisturbed by the sight before them.

After seven days and nights of observation, they had become convinced that the handsome Prince before them was a manifestation of the gods. How else could he have remained so vibrant for seven days and nights without food or drink?

Every night, he summoned the light of the stars to shine on him, enhancing the brilliance of his silvery-gold hair.

These phenomena defied conventionalexplanation.

No outsider would know.

At this moment, Rhaegar drifted into a deep sleep and into dreamland.

In his dreams, war and fire intertwined, dragons and disasters surged together.

Rhaegar's vision blurred as he was drawn into a battlefield thick with smoke.

He looked down to see himself wearing a helmet of Valyrian steel, as dark as night and shrouded in black mist.

He raised his hands, one holding the sword Truefyre, the other the Lost dragon Claw.

Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!

An inexplicable horn sounded, and he felt a burning sensation throughout his body, as if his blood was boiling.

Rhaegar listened intently, reverting to hisDragonborn state, his purple eyes transforminginto vertical pupils.

The sound of the horn changed, piercing throughthe fog.

Ancient, heavy, and hot...

"This is not my battlefield."

Half-conscious, Rhaegar realized this was a dream.

Like the recurring nightmares that had haunted him since childhood.

Pop!

With this realization, the world before him shattered like a spider web.

The scene changed, his perspective split in two.

One view was of the Red Keep in King's Landing, the other a Dragonpit resembling King's Landing.

Rhaegar thought he had woken from the dream and stood there, confused, as a bystander.

The Red Keep was shrouded in white mist,obscuring everything.

The Dragonpit was clear.

It was called the Dragonpit because there were three dragon eggs in a straw nest within a closed space.

The eggs' shells were scaly and varied in color.

One was bright red like a flame, another blue like the sea.

The last egg was black on the upper third and red on the lower two-thirds, resembling a black egg sitting on a flame.

"Roar..."

A faint snorting sound came from the last dragon egg, and cracks began to appear on its surface.

Crack!

The shell split open, and a small head began to emerge.

Rhaegar sensed something was amiss.

He heard a distant voice whisper in his ear.

"Congratulations, the Heart of the Stars has been activated. You have obtained..."

The voice faded, and the dream collapsed.

Starry Sept.

Rhaegar opened his eyes and sat up abruptly, as if resurrected.

"A dream!"

Rhaegar's face paled, and he pressed his fingers together, letting out a long sigh of relief.

It had been a long time since he'd had such a vivid dream, especially since the war began.

At that moment, murmurs drifted from afar.

With his keen senses, Rhaegar turned his head towards the altar where the holy sisters were gathered.

"The Son of God has awakened. His hair glows like a silver-gold star..."

"The dragon outside the temple sleeps soundly, capable of swallowing ten goats at a time..."

"Shh, keep your voice down. Pray to the Seven Gods..."

Rhaegar overheard fragments of their conversation but paid it no further attention.

His gaze fell on the great sword, Dawn.

The milky white blade had turned transparent and shiny, dusted with stardust, its appearance completely transformed.

"The relic has been activated."

Rhaegar muttered, then reached out to touch the sword.

Clang!

A piece of milky white iron fell to the ground, landing next to Dawn.

Immediately, Dawn began to hum and tremble, as if it were wailing.

The milky white iron ingot acted like a magnet, greedily absorbing the starlight from Dawn's blade, stripping away its transformed transparency.

After a while,

Dawn returned to its original milky white color.

The iron ingot transformed into a bright white light, imbued with the magic of starlight, and began to rapidly change.

Rhaegar was stunned. He had never imagined that the relic would contain a starlight-absorbing parasite.

The explorer system panel appeared.

Seven Gods' Blessing

Level: Legendary (Red)

Effect: +50% magic talent

Comment: "A gift of starlight magic, which enhances all aspects of your talent."

Rhaegar was slightly startled and held the white light in his palm, careful not to pierce it.

The newly acquired relic seemed similar to [Blood and Fire] and [True Dragon's Blood], enhancing his talents. However, unlike the latter two, which were exclusive to the Fire and Blood of the Targaryens, this blessing was more comprehensive.

"Should I try to learn Starlight Magic?" Rhaegar mused, pinching his chin.

He hadn't yet mastered Pyromancy, and the prospect of delving into starlight or other forms of magic seemed unnecessary. Targaryen dragons and fire magic were formidable enough. The so-called "blessing of the Seven" felt somewhat redundant.

Rhaegar frowned, pondering, "Why does it feel more like a resource for future generations?"

His fire magic talent was already maxed out, and he didn't need additional bonuses.

Then, he recalled the scene from his dream.

"The nest, the dragon egg, breaking the shell..."

A sense of foreboding washed over him. "Could it be that Rhaenyra is giving birth?"

He calculated that she had been pregnant for eight months. Grand Maester Orwyle had predicted the baby would arrive next month, marking the ninth month. A normal pregnancy lasts ten months, but with twins, early labor was likely. Laena had also given birth to twins after nine months.

"No, I have to go back."

Clear-headed, Rhaegar picked up his greatsword, Dawn, and strode out.

The holy sisters were startled and blocked his path, their faces solemn. "Prince, there is still one night left of the seven days and nights you committed to. Please don't forsake all your efforts."

Rhaegar didn't have time to argue. His body suddenly burst into flames.

"Ahhh!"

The holy sisters recoiled, making way for him. But their eyes were not filled with fear; rather, they held a reverent awe.

Rhaegar paused, glancing back at the closed inner chamber deep within the temple. A faint glow flickered in his eyes.

An old charlatan had dared to waste his time for seven days and nights.

"I!"

Rhaegar's voice, though soft, drew the attention of the holy sisters.

The holy sisters dared not approach him, clinging to their faith in ignorance.

Rhaegar observed quietly, considering the exaggerated rumors of recent days. A flash of inspiration came to him: "After seven days of enlightenment, the seven gods have taught me the truth of the world, it seems they favor me."

The holy sisters held their breath, barely believing their ears.

Rhaegar wasted no time. His eyes fell on a Seven Star Bible lying at the feet of the statue of the Father. He walked over and picked up the thick tome with both hands.

He turned to the chapters dealing with the conflicts between gods and humans and the worldly power struggles and tore them out.

In front of the Holy Sisters, Rhaegar walked out with the Bible in his hands and said cryptically, "The Father guides me, the Warrior gives me strength, and the Stranger reveals the cycle of life and death."

"The old gods have retreated, and the old faith of the Seven is confused and unclear. The new gods will soon spread the new Faith of the Seven to every corner of Westeros. I am the practitioner of this new religion, the favored of the Seven, the bearer of their will."

Finally, Rhaegar looked back at the seven tall statues, made a prayerful gesture, and solemnly declared, "In my secular capacity, I will build a Seven-Star Cathedral in King's Landing that will surpass the Starry Sept. I will recruit followers of the Seven Gods to learn about the new religion."

"Protestantism?"

"A Seven-Star Cathedral..."

"The future king himself preaching the doctrine..."

The holy sisters murmured among themselves, then excitement boiled over.

Outside the Starry Sept, Rhaegar quickly tucked the tattered Seven Star Bible into his space necklace and climbed onto the back of Cannibal.

The daily gossip had given him inspiration.

The Faith of the Seven was powerful, embraced by both nobles and commoners across Westeros. However, this did not necessarily make the High Septon powerful.

Rhaegar planned to reshape the Faith of the Seven to his own ends.

If the new religion spread, he could establish a new, updated set of rules.

Although the Faith of the Seven seemed brilliantand glorious, it had many doctrinal holes.

Rhaegar identified these gaps and modified the content to appeal to both nobles and commoners.

He wanted tp make sure it resonated with everyone.

For example, the power of the Stranger.

It was said the Stranger was the god of death,taking the souls of the dead.

But where did the souls go? Heaven or hell?

Rhaegar could say, "The good go to heaven, the bad to hell."

The doctrine did not describe heaven, only that itwas beautiful.

Similarly, hell was vaguely depicted, only meant to instill fear.

Rhaegar wanted to introduce visualizations ofheaven and hell, embedding these concepts deeply in people's minds, creating an inherent ideology.

Compared to the ambiguous beliefs of the Seven, the teachings of Protestantism were much clearer.

As heir prince, Rhaegar would build a great cathedral and recruit followers.

This new path would directly challenge the oldStarry Sept of the Faith of the Seven.

In time, it would change the minds of the people from the divine right of the Septon to the divineright of Kings.

A new Protestant Bible would be written, with the final interpretation left to the Targaryen dynasty.

This new doctrine would allow Rhaegar to marry as many women as he wanted, minimizing the power of the gods.

The king's commands would be the word of God,and the Targaryens would be above the common people.

Would the High Septon object? He has dragons!They were all holed up in their chambers now, but if they dared to interfere...

"Cannibal, return to King's Landing at full speed!"

Rhaegar mounted his saddle and rode his dragon into the night.

"Roar!"

Cannibal let out a roar, shook its massive body, flapped its wings, and soared into the night sky.

Rhaegar looked down at the shrinking Oldtown and thought to himself, "I'll be back!"

Next time, he wouldn't give them so many chances.

...

At the same time, within the confines of thePrincess's chamber in the Red Keep.

A strained groan pierced the tense air, followed by a series of labored breaths.

The midwife and maids scurried about, carrying basins of hot water and fresh towels in preparation for the impending birth.

Creak—

The door swung open abruptly as a figure clad in a red and white dragon-riding outfit burst into the room.

Laena, eyes wide with concern, scanned the roomfor her friend.

The cries of labor filled the room, echoing off the stone walls.

Rhaenyra lay on the bed, her body slick withsweat, gripping the sheets tightly.

Laena rushed to her side. "Rhaenyra, I heard your cries from across the hall. How are you holding up?"

She quickly assessed the situation.

Rhaenyra's white gown was hitched up, stained avivid red from the labor. Her face, contorted with pain, was flushed as another cry of agony escaped her lips. "I can't give birth yet. Neither of my children wants to be the elder brother."

Laena paused, realizing the gravity of the moment was no time for jests.

She turned her gaze sharply towards GrandMaester Orwyle. "She's been in labor for hours. Isn't there anything you can do to help?"

Orwyle's expression was grave as he ponderedthe complexities of childbirth. It was a perilousand unpredictable process, varying dramatically from one woman to another.

"Ah!"

Rhaenyra screamed again, her eyes brimming with tears as her body arched in torment.

"Rhaenyra, are you alright?" Laena's voice was laced with concern as she grasped her friend's hand, eyes darting to the activity beneath the skirts.

Despite having experienced childbirth herself, Laena felt overwhelmed. If not for Rhaegar's intervention during her second pregnancy, she might not have survived.

"I can't bear this any longer!" Rhaenyra gasped out in despair.

"What's wrong?" Laena asked, her face blanching.

Rhaenyra clenched her teeth, determination flickering across her face. "It's time. The little ones can't wait any longer."

A pained wail escalated into a crescendo, and then, piercing the tense atmosphere, the cry of a newborn resonated through the chamber.

"Wa wa wa~~"

"Rhaegar, you wretched man!" Rhaenyra cursed through gritted teeth.

No sooner had the first cry ebbed than a second, equally vigorous wail filled the room.

"Wa wa wa~~"

The room, once tense with anticipation and fear, now echoed with the cries of new life, marking the arrival of not one, but two heirs into the tumultuous world of the Red Keep.

(Word count: 2,177)